The Goblet of Fire and the Imperius Curse
by CopperCow
Summary: Sequel to A Family Reunited. GOF AU Harry finally has the family he always wanted with his twin sister Kim, his godfather, and Remus, but that doesn't mean everything will be peaceful. Lord Voldemort seeks revenge. RL/SB, eventual HP/GW, PW/OC, CW/OC, DM/OC, NM/LM Some OCs, but Kim is the only one who is in the entire story. References to child abuse, M for violence and swearing
1. The Dream

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: I'd check out the book before this before reading this one, but to be honest, I've read sequels without reading the first one too. :/**

Chapter 1

Bellatrix impatiently sat on a rock not far from the beach, pouting and kicking pebbles while waiting to escape. Today an auror was coming to inspect Azkaban. The fools at the Ministry always only sent one because they figured that the prisoners were too weak to revolt. But the dementors had been leaving them alone for months now. They were ready.

When Bellatrix heard the boat speeding towards the shore, she tried to keep her giggles from turning into hysterical laughs. She made sure to sway as she walked to the boat. It was best to look tired and like she was too underfed to move much. Then the auror would underestimate her. He smirked at her when she approached, until he realized that she should be in her cell and that there should have been wards up to keep her in, but it was already too late. Bellatrix laughed. "How'd you like to be the first death of the war that will bring the Dark Lord back to power?" Before the man could reply, Bellatrix grabbed his head and snapped his neck. She looked down on him with a sneer on her face. The auror at least had enough sense to grab his wand, but he just wasn't quick enough. Poor dear.

After being able to control her laughs, Bellatrix signaled for the rest of the prisoners to join her. She grabbed the auror's wand to enlarge the boat so all eleven of them could fit. Once they all were in the old wooden boat she turned to Peter and asked desperately, "Do you still know where the Dark Lord is?" If not, Bellatrix would search the ends of the earth for her master, but not before killing Peter out of anger. She had the wand, meaning she had the power. Peter nodded eagerly. If there was one talent he had, it was having a map in his head. He could look at any map once and remember it instantly. Therefore, whenever somebody mentioned a place, he always knew exactly where it was. James had praised him for it when they were creating the Marauders Map.

And so they set off to find the Dark Lord.

* * *

Sirius could barely contain his glee as he held the bucket of ice water above Kim's bed. She never woke up in time for breakfast so Remus told Sirius to wake her up, knowing full well what he was going to do. He chuckled to himself. She appeared to be in a dead sleep too. Quickly, he hurled the bucket's icy contents on her and yelled, "GOOD MORNING!" He laughed hysterically when she looked around in shock, still halfway in dreamland and mumbling about keeping her herd of cows safe.

Kim blinked a minute and shook her wet head. "What the Hell? It's summer. That means stay up 'til four and sleep 'til two."

Sirius shrugged. "It's nine in the morning. Close enough." And then he ran out the room before she could throw a soggy pillow at him.

Sighing, Kim quickly jumped out of bed, headed to the bathroom, and then back to her room to get dressed, thinking about going back to sleep until she heard some paws scratching at her window. The big black dog wined. Kim smiled. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you." She opened the window and paused from shutting it again after the dog jumped in. "Where you watching me get dressed?" The dog laid down and covered his eyes with his paws to prove that he wasn't.

They walked into the cozy kitchen as if the dog had been in the house forever. Kim sat at her usual spot next to Harry, while the dog rested his head in her lap, hoping to get half her breakfast. Remus turned around from the fridge and brought over a pitch of pumpkin juice, frowning at the sight of the dog. "Sirius what are you—" He looked to see Sirius putting the food on the table with Harry and not in his animagus form.

Harry shared Remus's confused look and turned to Sirius. "Having you been pretending to be an animagus all this time and just had a really well trained dog to do your biding?"

Sirius pretended to glared at him. He grumbled sarcastically, "Hah, hah, hah. This is clearly another animagus! Look at him! He understands every word we're saying." The dog barked and wagged his tail.

Kim poured herself some juice. "Maybe he's just smart. I'm going to name him…" She looked at the food on the table. "Scrambled. Because that's what his brain is."

Lee transformed back to himself and pointed angrily at Kim. "Not true!" He looked at everyone staring at him. "Oh wait..." Then he transformed again and acted like it never happened.

Kim patted his head. "That's a good boy."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "I can pull up another chair if you want?"

Lee transformed again. "Okay."

As he sat down, Harry smiled at him. "I'm beginning to think that I'm the only one here who doesn't have an animal side."

Lee looked at him, eyes ablaze. "I can teach you in two weeks if you want. But you'll be taking the risk of being as nutty as this one." He jerked his thumb at Kim. Before she could yell at him, he continued very quickly. "It took me two years to learn myself, but that was because I had Calvin teaching me and not that nut job Alexander. I think everyone would expect you to be something magnificent like a lion or a dragon because you're Harry Potter, but I'd like to think you'd be something totally unexpected like a, a, a giraffe or a wombat." Harry stared. He talked much faster than Hermione.

Everyone was giving him an odd look except Kim, who was making a sandwich with her toast and eggs. Sirius said slowly, "How'd you get past the wards undetected?"

Lee and Kim smirked. "Spend five minutes with Calvin Pendragon, and you can get past any ward undetected. He's a real whiz." Lee brought his brows together, looking confused. He turned to Kim. "Is he dead?" He said this as if he were talking about the weather.

Kim shook her head. "Nope. Probably sleeping off a hangover right now in the Powers house in London." Sirius looked at Remus. This kid was going to have to have a long talk with Albus about how he got past the wards.

Not wanting to be rude but still wanting to know, Sirius asked, "No offense, dude, but why are you here anyway." Harry and Kim shared a look and smirked, never thinking Sirius was one to say dude.

Lee made the kind of face a kid makes when an adult catches them doing something bad. "I got suspended from my internship in Romania."

Remus frowned. "But you're supposed to make mistakes during an internship. That's how you're supposed to learn. What did you get in trouble for?"

Lee hushed his voice as if there was a room full of people listening. "Sexual harassment." Kim burst out laughing while Sirius and Remus wondered if it was about time Lee went home. Harry wondered why Lee wasn't arrested but didn't want to be rude by asking.

Before anything else could be said on the matter, Albus came through the fire place. He smiled at everyone, but the twinkle wasn't present in his eyes. "I'm afraid we're going to have to have an emergency Order meeting. Molly said that Harry and Kim could go to the Burrow." He smiled at Lee. "I'm sure she won't mind one extra person."

Lee made a face. "Kim's house elf? I thought she was still in Pennsylvania."

Harry shook his head. "Mrs. Weasley. She's our friends' mum."

Lee's eyes widened at the word Weasley. "Oh my! A twist in the saga of Lee." Harry looked to Kim for help, but she was already in the bathroom brushing her teeth.

At the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley laid out a plate of sandwiches and crushed Fred and George's dreams for the day by saying, "Percy's in charge." Then she quickly left with her husband. As always, they seemed to be running late.

Speaking of the devil, Percy just proudly came down the stairs after sending a letter to Barty Crouch, his current idol. He still walked around with his chest thrust out a bit, used to trying to show off his Head Boy Badge. Lee took one look at him and smirked. "Nice love bite." Percy's ears turned redder than anyone had ever seen Ron's, and he quickly covered the "love bite" on his neck.

Fred and George, of course, pounced at once. "My oh, my! Our little angel seems to growing up."

"I think it's time we give him the talk, George." Fred covered his heart with both of his hands as if the thought made him feel faint.

George nodded solemnly and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Let's hope he hasn't shamed Penelope by taking her virtue before marriage."

Percy's embarrassed expression turned into an anxious one. He roared, "Don't you dare tell her about this!"

The Weasley twins stared for a moment before grinning evilly while everyone else grabbed a sandwich except Kim, who sat at the table with her hands folded in mock politeness, enjoying the show like everyone else. "Why wouldn't we?"

"She was _there_, wasn't she?"

Both twins folded the arms across the chest. "Or are you an adulterer, dear brother?" The rest of Percy's face turned blood red, as he remembered his first day of work, the part that he didn't tell his family about at dinner and vowed to never tell anyone.

_Percy was just about to take his first ever lunch break, eager to see what the Ministry Cafeteria looked like, when he saw Mr. Crouch's summer secretary on the verge of crying. Knowing his mother would scold him for not helping the young blonde girl, Percy politely asked, "Is something the matter, Miss?"_

_ She threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Yes, I mean no, I mean…Oh, never mind." Percy looked around at all the messy papers on her desk. "I just am having trouble getting things together on my first day. I'll be fine."_

_ She sure didn't look fine. Percy told himself that he was going to help her because it would affect Mr. Crouch's work if she didn't do her job correctly. "I can help. It's my lunch hour. My mum packed me a sandwich anyway."_

_ The blonde bit her lip. "It's just…sometimes I get letters and numbers mixed up…And now everything's a mess!"_

_ Percy started organizing the mess and stated, "You have dyslexia."_

_ Her eyes hardened and tears formed in them. She stopped fiddling hopelessly through the papers and clenched her fists. "I'm not stupid."_

_ He looked up. "I never said that. Lots of people smart people have it. I hear that muggle Albert Einstein had it. And from what my dad says he was a pretty smart guy." She gave him a watery laugh, and Percy felt himself blush. And so, Percy got to work and found that the girl was quickly able to work everything out. All she needed was help figuring out what she got mixed up, and then everything was perfectly sorted out and organized._

_ She smiled at the fact that the top of her desk was visible one more. Walking over to him, she kissed him gently and whispered, "Thank you."_

_ She moved to kiss him again when Percy yelped, "What are you doing? I don't even know your name."_

_ She smiled at him. "My name's Sylvia."_

_ Percy managed to stutter out, "I'm P-P-Percy, and I have a girlfriend."_

_ Sylvia laughed and hugged him closer to her. She whispered in his ear, "I don't care." And then she continued what she started until the lunch break was almost over._

After the memory caused him to blush deeper, Fred and George decided to black mail him into letting them play Quidditch for the day and not sit quietly or do homework like he would've made them do. Ron frowned at Lee as he gathered the brooms and the apples to play. "What position do you play?"

Lee smiled haughtily. "All positions."

They all soon discovered that Lee did play all positions and was equally terrible at all of them. Harry and Ginny couldn't stop laughing as Ron kept getting hit in the head with the apples. Fred and George kept sending apples Lee's way. Lee did know how to fly well though and could even do a sort of a handstand on his broom. Not entirely sure who was on which team, Kim decided to bounce around under them, cheering for everyone. When she threw up her hands in the air, Lee took the opportunity to quickly snatch them up, pulling her off the ground.

Of course, she started screaming at the top of her lungs, and everyone laughed for a moment, that is until they realized that Lee wasn't letting go. No one really knew how to get her down without knocking them both off the broom. She kicked furiously and continued to scream as Lee flew up past the trees, laughing all the way.

Albus was showing the Order maps with marked locations that he believed Voldemort could be hiding when Kim came through the fire place with a dour expression on her face. She pouted when everyone turned around at her entrance. "I peed my pants." Remus frowned, her overalls were soiled and her hair was full of leaves. Solemnly, Kim walked to the bathroom and after a moment the sound could be heard of the bathtub starting to fill.

Snape sneered at Remus, looking at his robes. "Going to have trouble affording diapers, wolf?"

Sirius pounded his fist on the table. "Shut the fuck up Snape!"

Albus smiled, wondering if they will ever get along. "I'm sure there is a perfectly understandable reason as to why Miss Potter lost control of her bladder, my boys. Let's just move on with the meeting." Albus sighed. They still had no clue where to look. The area would obviously be heavily warded, so much so that it would take a trained eye to find. Severus suggested sending Kim's friend Lee, since he so easily got passed the wards that Albus himself set up, but Albus didn't feel comfortable sending a child God knows where to search for a dark wizard. It was bad enough that Harry was so deeply involved.

After everyone decided that if they came up with any ideas they would send a letter or firecall, Molly invited everyone over for lunch. Most were busy, having work, so she turned to Remus and Sirius. "I won't take no for an answer with you two."

Once everyone left, Kim finally emerged from the bathroom with a towel around her and grumpily went to her room to change, slamming the door behind her. Sirius smirked at her as she came back out in pajamas, even though it was barely one in the afternoon. "Care to explain?"

She glared at him. "No." Sirius shrugged, knowing he'd get the story from Fred and George soon or later.

At the Burrow, Sirius found more pieces to the strange puzzle as he witnessed the Weasley children and Harry sitting in the living room. Ron had a huge, swelling red bump on his head, Percy seemed to be in a permanent blush, Fred and George were eating apples, and Harry and Ginny were laughing at Ron while he put a pack of ice to his forehead. Lee snuck behind Kim and suddenly grabbed her shoulders. He snickered when she yelped. "Did I make you pee your pants again?"

Kim stared at him for a moment and responded in her usual matter by screeching and tackling him to the ground. "You will pay for this, villain! I will break all of your bones!"

Lee rolled over and pinned her to the ground. "Never! I am a manly man who is too strong to be defeated by you, you midget devil!"

Kim kneed him in the stomach causing the wind to be knocked out of him and managed to succeed in rolling over and pinning him to the ground, making sure to use her knees to keep his legs down. "Swear slavery to me! You will be my house elf for eternity."

Remus decided it was best to at least try to intervene. He walked over to the fray and crouched beside them. "Don't you think it would be better to have lunch, instead of enslaving people?"

Kim stared at him with wide eyes, like the idea was ridiculous. Ron nodded. "It's not our fault you're both insane. It's been almost two hours since those sandwiches!" Lee tensed up at the word "insane" so Kim decided it best to let him go. On her way to the kitchen, Kim smacked Ron on the back of the head. "Hey! My front's all messed up and now you hit the back!"

Lee was unusually silent at lunch, and Kim kept shooting glares at Ron, who of course had no idea what he did. Mrs. Weasley smiled at him. "I know this is a bit of a stretch, but Remus mentioned you have an internship in Romania. Do you know my son Charlie? I know it's an entire country, but we don't hear from him often."

Lee turned a little pink. "Yeah. He teaches me stuff about dragons, but I'm mostly with the breeders. He works with the sick and in the nursery." Kim made a face like she was trying not laugh, causing Harry to choke on his pumpkin juice when he realized why. Lee glared at her. "Did you all know that Kim and I were betrothed?"

Ginny smirked at the look of fury Kim gave him while everyone else stared in shocked silence. "Oh yeah? I bet she was a terrible fiancée." Kim hissed at her.

Lee nodded as Kim banged her head against the table. "I had to tell her were babies come from. She was nine years old and still insisting there was a stork."

Kim narrowed her eyes while she nibbled on her chicken sandwich. "This is why you have trouble making friends."

Fred and George shook their heads and pretended to look offended towards Kim. "Lee's our friend."

"Because he gave us a way to blackmail Percy!" Beet red, Percy quickly went back up to his room.

Molly shook her head in exasperation. "All right, all right! I think we got a little of track… Do you three like you're sandwiches?" They nodded, although Kim kept trying to mash up her tomatoes to see if she could make ketchup.

After lunch, Harry, Ron, and Ginny decided to try to teach Lee to play Quidditch while Fred and George went up to their room to experiment their latest product. With everyone else gone and the adults were cleaning up, Kim pulled on Remus's sleeve. "Can Lee stay for the next few days until he can go back to Romania? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!"

Remus stared at her while Sirius grumbled that he'd have to guard her door. "He made you wet yourself, you got in a fist fight with him, and he announced to everyone at lunch something that would embarrass you, and you still want him to stay?"

Kim stood up straight and nodded seriously. "Yes."

Sirius frowned while Molly and Arthur shared a look, never thinking they'd see the day where Sirius is so protective. Molly always worried after he fed Kim and Harry soda as newborns. "He's a boy."

Kim walked over and pulled on Sirius's cloak sleeve, stretching the fabric as she sunk to the ground. "Yeah, but if not, he'll be stuck in his dad's dungeon for four whole days! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!" All the adults tensed up, but she kept going as if it was just an unfair punishment and whined, "He's afraid of the dark!"

Sirius patted her on the head and said quietly, "Yeah. It's fine." He knew that he would want someone to do the same for her or Harry.

She smiled brightly. "Okay." And then she skipped off to go find some gnomes in the garden.

* * *

Kim would be shocked to learn that Calvin was not sleeping off a hangover, but was actually starting his first day at the Auror Academy of London. He was surprised that he got in. They said that in order to graduate he would have to work on his temper after he destroyed a practice dummy during one of the simulations. But still, if they would pass that klutzy girl, they would pass him.

Calvin was currently using the name Kevin Sullivan and was in disguise because he was hiding from his father. Not many knew it, not even Kim or Sylvia, but he was a Metamorphagus. Sylvester had once caught him sneaking out once and leaving the house in disguise as a friend of Father's. He was so jealous. Calvin smiled, remembering all those books his brother read, trying to figure out how to become one too. He had changed his dark brown hair into blonde and changed his dark brown eyes into dark green. He made his jaw more square, tanned his skin, and even studied the anatomy of the vocal chords to make his voice deeper. Calvin would be more than surprised if anyone recognized him.

Calvin looked over at the girl who literally tripped over her on feet, wondering how someone so clumsy, the complete opposite of graceful, could be so beautiful. He wasn't even ashamed when she caught him staring and grinned so wide it hurt when her once mousy brown hair turned a blush pink in response. She was just like him.

She walked over to him and fell flat on her face on her way. Well, maybe not _just_ like him. Just as she was most likely going to tell him off for staring, the instructor, Mad-Eye Moody as they called to them, strolled over and said, "Ah. Wonderful. The two who barely passed the entrance exam are getting acquainted." He pointed to the girl. "You are going to teach him how to not to use too much force." Then he pointed to Calvin. "And you are going to teach her how to function like a normal human being and survive through the simplest of tasks without knocking something over or tripping." Her hair turned bright red. Mad-Eye glared at her. "How can you keep CONSTANT VIGILANCE when you're incapable of walking on a perfectly flat surface?"

When Mad-Eye left to yell at someone for putting her wand in her pocket, the girl glared as he left. "I'm T—I mean Nymphadora, but I'm not clumsy."

Calvin burst out laughing, ignoring the nasty look she was giving him. "Yeah, right. And I'm not a cold hearted bastard." Nymphadora stared at him, not sure if he was being sarcastic or not. Calvin smiled. Not many were willing to admit that they were cold hearted bastards. "I suppose we'll start with you? Unless you're an anger management expert?"

She shook her head. "I think he was joking. And that we can leave for the day. Everyone else is."

Calvin frowned. He wasn't losing her that easy. "Fine. Get berated again at class tomorrow."

Nymphadora huffed. "No!...But don't make fun of me. I passed for a reason. I'll kick your ass before you could even try to defend yourself!"

Calvin smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it, Hot Stuff." She blushed crimson as her hair changed the same color. Calvin looked at the obstacle course. "Let's start by just running through it, but I want you to close your eyes while doing it." Nymphadora stared at him with wide eyes. "I'll guide you through it." She closed her eyes and squeaked when he grabbed her hands and started to run. She managed to dodge everything that popped up in front, that is, until she opened her eyes. With a small scream, Nymphadora ran head first into a fake pedestrian, and Calvin could help but laugh at her as she fell to the floor from the force.

She grumbled as she took Calvin's hand and stood up. "So I guess I was meant to be blind…Then I wouldn't be tripping over myself."

Calvin didn't let go of her hand and yanked her close to him. "Maybe you just need someone to guide you, Nymphadora."

Nymphadora snorted and roughly pushed him away. "Awful name, isn't it?"

Calvin grinned. "It's _way _better than Kevin." Calvin couldn't help but hate the name. It wasn't really the name itself, just the fact that he wanted _his_ name back.

"I wish I had a normal name like that. I like my last name better." She looked at the ground, seeming sad suddenly. "But my mum really likes my name."

"You know, I spent a lot of my life trying to please my parents. But hey, we're grownups now, right? Compromise or do what makes you happy." Her eyes filled up with tears. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Nymphadora wiped her eyes. "I can't exactly compromise with my mum right now. She's sick."

Calvin sighed. "My mom's sick a lot too…but sometimes I feel like it's more her choice than anything." He frowned at her curious look. "She's an alcoholic. Anyway, why not try Dora? It's not your full name, but it's still your first name."

Nymphadora smiled. Her mum was Dromeda, so she could be Dora. She felt like she owed it to her mum to keep Nymphadora, but maybe her mum just wants her to be happy. "Dora. I think I will give that a shot."

* * *

Lucius smiled as the house elves prepared for Draco's birthday dinner. They always celebrated it a few weeks after his birthday since he's been at Hogwarts studying for finals during it these past three years. They never told him exactly when they were going to have it, wanting to surprise him with whatever they bought him. This year it was new Quidditch balls to play with his friends during the summer. His other ones were looking pretty worn. Narcissa said that they spoiled him when he decided to also surprise Draco with a trip to Italy, but he couldn't help it. Cissy had four miscarriages and a baby that was born too early and died before Draco came along. Lucius felt more than lucky to have him.

He laughed when Severus came in, as sour looking as ever with his usual unwrapped book as a gift. Lucius expected Draco to greet his godfather warmly and be excited for his "birthday" when he came down for dinner, but his son just gave him a dark look before retreating back upstairs. Lucius frowned. He had been telling the house elves to prepare for this all day! "I'm gonna to kick that little brat's ass."

Cissy smiled as she sipped her tea. "Maybe you should let Severus talk to him. It's clearly him that Draco has a problem with." Severus glared at her, but still followed after Draco. She stood up when Severus was out of her vision. She smiled mischievously and whispered to her husband, "I'm going to listen in on them."

Lucius groaned. "Cissy, you know how Draco'll be if he catches you."

Cissy winked at him before hurrying up the stairs. "Unlike you, my love, I am not afraid of my own son." She ran up to Draco's room, giggling softly, before Lucius could try to stop her.

Severus tried not to roll his eyes at Draco, who was trying to ignore him by staring at the ceiling above his bed. "Are you really angry about what happened at the final?" Draco answered him with silence. "Potter had been nothing but a nuisance all year. I just thought she needed to be taken down a few notches."

Draco quickly shot up from his bed, outraged. "But she didn't do anything to you! You always tell us to watch out for the Gryffindors, that they're bullies, but you just verbally attacked her, knowing how deeply it would upset her!"

Severus clenched his teeth. "She tried to kill me."

Draco stood up angrily. "She couldn't control it, and you know it! I want you to leave her alone from now on. No matter what." Severus clenched his fists. "I love her." Draco laughed bitterly at his godfather's shocked expression and shook his head. "But I know that there's something not quite right about her too…Just-just leave her alone." Severus just stared at him for a moment, before nodding, knowing that Lily would want the same, but not sure if he could help himself. He's been so consumed with his hatred of James Potter for so long, that he didn't know how to live any other way.

Narcissa smiled to herself as she quickly retreated down the stairs before Severus or Draco could catch her. Her baby boy was in love! She wondered if he would have the guts to tell Lucius.

* * *

The Death Eaters just reached the middle of the forest in Albania when their Dark Marks started to burn. Bellatrix moaned with excitement. The Dark Marks would allow them to cross the wards. They were going to rescue their Dark Lord tonight. Peter wheezed, eager to be rewarded by his master.

They found the Dark Lord hidden deep within a cave where no animals, not even insects would inhabit. Peter tried not to lose what little food he had in him at the sight of their fallen master, who looked like a sickly, starving infant. Bellatrix smiled brightly and picked him up, cuddling him and cooing to him as if he were a baby.

Lord Voldemort blinked sleepily at those surround him and raise a feeble hand. "Does anyone have a wand?" Bellatrix handed it to him without hesitation. "I believe the Lestrange Manor is abandoned. We will reside there from now on." Immediately, every Death Eater apparated to the manor, Bellatrix with the dark wizard in her arms. The forest seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The monster was gone.

Lestrange Manor seemed to literally pale in comparison to its former glory. Bellatrix had liked it full of black and dark green, but now it was so covered in dust that the light gray was almost white. Bellatrix wrinkled her nose in disgust. Several people sneezed. Rodolphus glared at them. His Bella loved this house. The Dark Lord let out a shaky, weak, breath. "We shall have our first meeting in the Dining Hall." Everyone followed without a word.

Bellatrix placed Lord Voldemort in the seat that would belong to the head of the family and sat on his right side, eager to hear his plans. Her husband sat next to her. Peter sat across from her. The Dark Lord eyed his most loyal followers with a bit of disappointment. They looked weak. They must have been in Azkaban. "What year is it?"

There were some murmurs from his followers, who had been incarcerated while he was in his own prison. Finally, Peter squeaked, "1994, my lord."

Their master narrowed his eyes. Harry Potter was no longer a baby. In a few years, he would be a man. "I must regain my body and my power back." The only one who looked like they believed it was possible was Bellatrix. Lord Voldemort gritted what was left of his teeth while noting that he could barely see over the table in the state he was in now. Still, he knew how to regain power. He only needed a few loyal followers, but he had been given nearly a dozen. "I know how it will be done. Anyone who doesn't believe me, stand up now. Your death will be quick, in honor of your service. Get caught not believing in me, and I will make sure that the process of your death lasts longer than your stay in Azkaban." A collective shiver ran through everyone but Bellatrix. No one stood up. "I am going to need to use Harry Potter as a sacrifice."

That raised many eyebrows. Bellatrix smiled and touched his hand. "My lord, don't you think you should use someone more worthy?"

Lord Voldemort glared at her. "SILENCE! DO NOT QUESTION ME!" He smirked at the tears in her eyes. Yelling at Bella and showing that he was disappointed in her hurt her far more than the Cruciatus Curse. "He is my greatest enemy. Therefore, he will give me the greatest power. I am interested in finding another follower as well, because I need someone strong and smart enough to be in the outside world without me for extended periods of time. What I want to know is how you all will be able to get around without being noticed? I'm sure the Ministry has their dogs along with the Order searching for you as if their lives depended on it." Lord Voldemort smiled. "Which it does." The Death Eaters laughed nervously, Bella giggling like a school girl with a crush. He nodded proudly when Peter reminded him of his animagus form. "Now, how did you escape? I'm sure the Ministry will try to hold some of my followers captive in the future."

Dolohov spoke up proudly. "I have learned to communicate with the dementors, my lord. They are on our side and are ready to fight for you."

Peter looked at his master eagerly. "I-I told everyone of your location, my lord. Without me, they never would have found you."

Lord Voldemort turned slowly to Peter. "And how did you know? I doubt any of the signs that I sent out were able to reach Azkaban."

Peter bit his nails and squeaked, "I've been hiding in disguise as a rat with the blood-traitors, the Weasleys, pretending to be their pet. After I was thrown into prison, I was able to gather your followers." He started sweating as the Dark Lord gave him a cold look.

Lord Voldemort tapped his blackened nails on the table and pursed his lips. "So you're telling me, Wormtail, that you've been able to come to my aide for almost fifteen years and that you've done nothing." Bellatrix gave Peter a murderous look.

Peter stammered, "I-I wanted to g-g-get you followers, my lord! I wasn't sure what to do without your guidance, but when I was p-p-put into Azkaban, I was surrounded by all your loyal servants! I knew that we could help you." He was as pale as a sheet, hoping that that excuse would be able to save his life.

Lord Voldemort smiled cruelly. "I will forgive you Wormtail. However, I do feel you need to be punished. You wasted three years where you had total access to Harry Potter. Three years during which you could have brought him to me. Three years during which I could have regained my power."

Peter bolted out of his chair and sunk to his knees, folding his hands together as he pleaded, "Please! My lord! Have mercy!"

The Dark Lord laughed coldly. "Three years. Three doses of the Cruciatus Curse." Bellatrix's face was giddy with excitement as Peter started to wail. Lord Voldemort did not bother lifting one curse or waiting for it to wear off before hitting Peter with the others. Bellatrix burst out laughing as her master calmly said, "Crucio. Crucio. Crucio."

When Harry woke up, the pain was so unbearable that he didn't even have the energy to scream. He started writhing in his bed, wondering if this was what it was like to die. He tried to open his eyes, but all he could feel, see, hear, smell, and taste was that white hot pain. Anything else he sense paled in comparison.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Book 2 hurray! I know that Charlie isn't gay in the books, but I wanted Lee to resemble Sirius in a way. I also know the Malfoys having trouble having a baby is kind of an overused plot, but it is a very important part to this story in the long run. As mentioned before, Lee's parents put him in a mental institution because of his fascination with muggles, so that's why he tensed up and got quiet after Ron joked that he and Kim were insane. Please read and review!**


	2. Constant Vigilance and a Hair Cut

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 2

Lee was trying to fall asleep with a rather boring book about the chemical makeup of dragon scales when he heard a gasp from Harry in the bed across from him. He frowned. Harry's head was arched up like he was having a seizure or something, but his eyes weren't rolling in the back of his head, and he looked pretty scared. With a shrug, Lee yawned and strolled over to what he was told was Remus and Sirius's room. He wondered if they had bunk beds. He knocked quickly and constantly until a very tired Remus opened the door. Lee smiled brightly, knowing that it was three in the morning. "Does Harry have epilepsy? They have medication for that you know."

Remus blinked from a moment and rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep. "Why would you ask—?" Once he put the pieces together, Remus gently pushed Lee out of the way and ran into Harry's room.

Sirius yawned loudly and stretched, wondering where Remus was in the middle of the night. Like a zombie, Sirius walked slowly to the doorway. He stared at Lee. "What's going on? Is there a spider? Because if you're like Pete, I'm going to set things straight right now. Kill your own damn spiders."

Lee grinned. "Spiders are fascinating creatures."

Sirius glared at him. "Then what do you want?"

Lee shook his head. "Oh, I don't want anything. Harry doesn't look so good. He started spazing out in his bed when he was in a dead sleep." When Sirius pushed Lee out of the way to rush to Harry's room, it was as gently as Remus, and he nearly fell to the floor.

Lee decided that he was going to wake Kim up by her scaring again and crept into her bed, knowing that she probably just fell asleep herself. Snuggling under the covers, Lee grabbed Kim's waste and whispered, "Goodnight sleepy head." Giggling as her eyes bulged out of her head, Lee quickly covered her mouth before she could scream. "Come on! Everybody's up! We had a bit of an emergency! I was assaulted myself." Kim sat up, and they quickly got in a slap fight. After a moment, Kim hopped out of bed and ran out, shutting the door behind her. Yelping at the sudden darkness, Lee bolted to the door and followed her out.

Harry finally seemed to stop having his fit or whatever it was and was heaving as he was about to vomit as Sirius held the trash can near him. Remus rushed to firecall Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey. Harry didn't seem to be able to say anything, even after he lost his dinner and stopped heaving. Sirius hurried to the bathroom to get him a glass of water.

It took all of five minutes for Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey to come bustling in the room. Madame Pomfrey inspected Harry and once realizing that there was no illness, she turned around at lightning speed to interrogate Lee. He wondered if he should be scared. "What exactly happened? He doesn't seem to be ill or cursed at the moment." She pursed her lips and eyed him as if she were suspicious of Lee. He glared at her. He was just trying to cure his insomnia when it happened. He didn't do anything. Harry just suddenly started freaking out.

He put his hands on his hips. "How am I supposed to know? One minute he was sound asleep and the next he looked like he was going to die or something."

Sirius looked like he wanted to strangle him. "Don't say that!"

Before Lee could crack some jackass comment that would probably earn him a punch in the face, Harry regained the ability to talk. "It was a dream…B-but I felt it."

Dumbledore gripped the edge of Harry's bed post, eyes looking anxious. "What do you mean, my boy?"

Harry stared into space for a minute, reliving the nightmare. He shivered before he spoke. "It was Pettigrew…and a bunch of other people. One of their names was Bella. They found…" Harry's mind felt sluggish, like he was still in Lestrange Manor. "I think it was Voldemort. They called him my lord." Sirius sucked in a breath and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his arm around Harry. For the first time ever, he didn't flinch.

Dumbledore asked gently, "What did they talk about?"

Harry grimaced in disgust. "He wasn't really human…He looked like an underdeveloped fetus. But he had teeth and could talk. His nose was like a snake. He wanted to find a way to regain his power and body…He said something about sacrificing me to do it." Lee stared at Harry. He and the Dark Lord were connected in some way. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't really put his finger on what it was. Lee shook his head to himself. He'd never know unless someone mentioned the word.

Dumbledore paled. "Was it your scar that was bothering you?"

Fear suddenly flicked across Harry's face; as if he was worried it would happen again. "Yeah, it did…It felt like my head was going to explode…But it was more because of that spell, like it magnified everything and made it spread across my entire body. Voldemort was angry with Pettigrew about not coming to him sooner. He used this spell on him, three times for the three years that Pettigrew had access to me and did nothing, but it was like it was directed at me too, like I was on the receiving end of Voldemort's anger as well."

Dumbledore refused to meet Harry's eye. "What was the spell called?"

Harry felt himself breakout in a cold sweat. "Crucio."

* * *

After realizing there was nothing she could do for Harry, Madame Pomfrey gave him a dreamless sleep potion, which would knock him out for at least another eight hours. Lee went to talk to Dumbledore about how he got passed the wards. Kim went to sleep in the cot in Harry's room that had been dragged up from the basement for Lee.

Sirius decided it was high time to open that bottle of fire whiskey hidden under the sink. Remus gave him a disapproving look but still took a swig when Sirius offered it to him. Sirius stared off at nothing. "It's starting again, isn't it?" Remus stared at him for a second and nodded. "We can't lose him too though."

Remus nodded again. "And we won't."

* * *

The next day, Alastor Moody decided it was high time that he taught the Potters a lesson about constant vigilance. He was one of the few who were permitted past the wards, and so he marched over to Remus's cottage without being invited. Alastor knocked heavily on the door and was surprised to see someone he didn't recognize answer it. Before the boy could say a word, Alastor quickly pointed his wand at him, "Who are you? What did you do to the people who live here?"

The boy snickered and grinned evilly. "I…" He paused dramatically, eyes aglow with mischief. "_Killed_ them!" Alastor stunned the poor boy before he could even laugh at his own joke and proceeded to arrest him.

A very much alive Remus Lupin hastily ran over from where he was trying to stop an equally alive Sirius Black from burning a late breakfast. Sirius was laughing at the scene as if it were funny. Didn't he know that someone was in his house plotting to kill him and his family? Alastor suddenly wondered why he passed him at the Auror Academy all those years ago. Remus lifted the charms that forced the boy's hands behind his back. "Mad-Eye! He was only kidding! Why would he let you in if he was trying to kill us?"

Alastor grunted in annoyance before sitting down in a dark red and gold armchair. "You can never be too careful." The boy was just revived and walking dizzily to the couch when Alastor barked, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

The boy's dark blue eyes held more annoyance then fear as he flopped down on the couch. "First the midget in my bed and now this! I'll have you know that I have never killed anyone in my entire life!"

Alastor banged his walking stick on the ground. "Albus told me about last night. It is high time we start training those brats!"

Remus tried to hide his smile. "After breakfast." Alastor glowered and grumbled to himself. It was nearly noon.

The boy stared at Alastor as Remus headed into Harry's room to wake Harry and Kim up. "Where'd you get that eye? I find it quite fascinating."

Alastor smiled. Sirius had to admit it was a strange sight. Almost as strange as seeing Snape smile. "Most people avoid looking at it and never dare to ask questions, but not asking questions, that can get the best of wizards killed. I got it in Egypt, as a gift for finding and arresting a dark wizard who was charming the giant sphinxes (the statue ones that is) to stomp on muggles. What is your name lad?"

The boy narrowed his eyes at Alastor, clearly pretending to wonder if he could trust him. "I don't know. Telling strangers your name? That can get the best of wizards killed."

Alastor nodded solemnly as Kim bounced out of Harry's room while Harry shyly followed, clearly embarrassed about what happened last night. "His name is Lee Starkman. He was born in Pennsylvania but now lives in a dragon reserve in Romania. He is a sexual predator."

Lee glared at her. "Am not! Since when is asking someone out every day for six months, sending the fifty cards on Valentine's Day, and following them around after work sexual harassment! I think Romanians are just conservative." He pouted and folded his arms over his chest at the injustice he was facing.

Harry laughed, forgetting about last night for a moment. "You're right. That's not sexual harassment." Lee brightened up. "It's stalking." Lee sagged back into his seat.

Sirius burst out laughing. "Joining us for breakfast, Mad-Eye? Or are you afraid it's poisoned?" Alastor declined and went to set up the obstacle course outside.

At breakfast, Lee frowned at the fact that Kim usually at a little more than half as everyone else but decided to talk to Harry about becoming an animagus. Sirius beamed proudly. Remus pretended to ignore them while wondering to himself if it was a good idea.

Kim tried to run away at the sight of the dummies and moving rocks that was the obstacle course, but Sirius smirked and grabbed the back of her hood, earning himself a smack in the back of the head from Remus as Kim started to choke. Alastor banged his walking stick on the ground again. "Mr. Potter will go first, given that I am told that he is more skilled then you." He gave Kim a disapproving look, which she returned.

The minute Harry set foot on the obstacle course, the dummies started rolling towards him, sending jets of red light his way. Using his seeker skills, Harry was able to dodge and repel most of them, but one did manage to hit a bird in the bird bath. Lee managed to save it before it drowned. Once the dummies were out of the way when he disarmed them, the rocks suddenly started moving around, hurling themselves at him. He just managed to tumble away as a boulder slammed to the ground, dirt spraying everywhere. Harry was beginning to wonder how mad Mad-Eye Moody was. Making Professor McGonagall proud, Harry transfigured as many as he could into flowers. He grimaced once they were all gone. Those flowers were bumpy with pebbles attached to them. Maybe he wouldn't make her as proud as he thought.

At first, he thought it was over, but then the ground around him started to shake. Harry made a face at Kim. Her eyes widened. "Hey! It wasn't me!" Suddenly, giant slugs burst out of the ground, turning the earth black as their slime touched it. They started slinking towards him and soon there was so many that they were surrounding him. Panicking, Harry jumped away from one and wound up stomping on another. As it died, bright green sludge burst out of it, causing not only a nauseous Remus to head back to the house but also kill the slug that he was trying to get away from. It made a horrible screeching noise as the blood of the dead slug seemed to disintegrate it. Harry stared for a minute before realizing that one group of slugs was a lime green while the other was more of a mint green. The one he stomped on was lime green, and it killed the mint green one. Working on his hunch, Harry jumped on a mint green one, making sure that it was facing the lime green one. He almost cried with relief as it killed the lime green one. Those slugs seemed to make everything they touched decay. The bottom of his shoes were already starting to thin.

Hopping from one slug to another and killing as many as he could on the way, he just managed to reach safe, untouched ground as the bottoms of his shoes wore down to nothing. Before the rest of the slugs could reach him, Harry grabbed the flowers that he just transfigured. He grinned at his previous mistake. They were heavy like rocks too. As fast as he could, Harry started throwing the rocks at the slugs and happily noted that as they exploded they managed to kill more than one. Finally, there was only one left, which was killed with a pebbly petunia. Once they all were gone, the area was quite, meaning that he beat the obstacle course. Alastor clapped slowly. "Excellent. That was the first quarter of the obstacle course that you would have to pass to get into the Auror Academy. It sends many home crying to their mummies." He clapped Harry on the shoulder while Sirius stared with his mouth agape. He had to take the test twice. The first time, he did in fact run crying to Mrs. Potter. Those slugs managed to burn through his clothes before Alastor summoned them away.

Kim glared at Mad-Eye. "Animal cruelty!"

Alastor laughed bitterly at her. "Those _animals_, as you call them, are capable of forcing a person to slowly decay from the outside in while they feast upon their decaying flesh." Kim pouted. That didn't mean they had to be killed every time somebody wanting to take the test to become an auror. "Sneaking slugs is what they call them. Nobody suspects a slug to be able to do much damage, even a giant one. Not many know how to kill them and freeze up in fear. Both species of sneaking slugs are toxic to one another, but no one has to guts to get close enough to research them and find out why. It takes a pretty brave person to try to get past them." Alastor smirked at Kim. "Now it's your turn, lassie."

Kim stared at him for a moment before running to the house with tears in her eyes, crying, "REMUS!"  
Harry frowned, "Did she just…"

Sirius shook his head in both disappointment and amusement, "Run home crying to her "mummy"? Yes. Yes, she did."

Lee smiled brightly. "Typical symptom of spoiled brat syndrome. Crying on command. The trick with the Pendragons is that you've got to do it in public. Then you get whatever you want. Although at home I know she usually resorted to stealing."

Alastor growled. "How is she going to get past Death Eater? They won't care if she runs off crying. A killing curse right to the head. That's what she'll get." Sirius glared at him.

Lee shook his head. "Kim never runs from a fight. Once she's disarmed she usually resorts to physical violence."

Alastor sighed. "That's what we'll be working on tomorrow. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some new wards to put up for my mother. I've never met someone as paranoid as her."

Harry stared in fascination as Mad-Eye Moody walked past where the wards ended and apparated away. Lee grinned, glad he didn't have to have a go at the obstacle course. There was no way that he'd have it in him to kill those slugs. "Was he even invited over?"

Sirius smiled, thinking of his old mentor. "No."

Back inside the cottage, Lee went through a small mountain of shrunken textbooks to find the ones that he would use to teach Harry how to become an animagus. After unshrinking them, Harry and Sirius stared in shock as the twenty textbooks that caused the coffee table to creak under their weight. Sirius slowly turned to Remus, who was reading a very thick and old looking textbook that Molly gave them and insisted they read on medicines for childhood illnesses. Sirius said incredulously, "You read _all _of these during school, Moony?"

Remus looked up from the chapter on Spattergroit. "Yes. More than that actually." Sirius gave him a look of horror. None of the Marauders wanted to read about becoming animagi, so Remus did and taught them daily lessons in their dorm after dinner.

Kim looked up from _Crime and Punishment_, grinned, and sang, "I didn't read any!"

Lee glared at her. "Which is why your bones snap, and I bet you sometimes think you're a lion."

Kim pouted. "Only when my mind wanders in Astronomy and History of Magic." Remus stared at her for a moment and started leafing through the book as if that were a typical childhood illness.

Harry laughed. "You started making funny noises in History of Magic once. I guess it would be a lion's meow. Binns didn't notice, of course. Ron thought it was hilarious but agreed not to tell anyone, so you wouldn't know that you were doing it and maybe do it again." Kim frowned, gave them all the finger and went back to her book. Remus sighed. He'd have to talk to her healer about that.

It took about two hours for them to get any results. Lee kept telling Harry to do things like mediate and think about what he would be if he wasn't a human, once in a while asking Harry to chant a few complicated sounding spells. Harry honestly thought that he was in one of those classes in the spas that Aunt Petunia raved about. Still having no idea what he would be if he weren't human, after about two hours Harry managed to make a single crimson red feather appear on his arm. Sirius jumped up, yelling that this was cause for celebration, but Lee held his hand up from where he was crouching on the floor. "First, we have to see if he can change it back. If not, this is cause for a trip to the hospital."

Harry bit his lip, having no idea how to do that. "Couldn't we just pull it off?"

Lee fake laughed at him. "Ahahahaha. No. First you must close your eyes and think about being completely human."

Harry glared at him, having heard him say over and over again to close his eyes and think about what it would be like to not be a human for two hours. "If this takes to hours, I might just have to kill you."

Lee smirked. "You're going to have to wait in a long line to do that."

Sighing, Harry closed his eyes and was happy to find that the feather went away almost instantly. Sirius jumped up once again and started cheering around the room. Remus shut his book and beamed at Harry while Kim turned over and mumbled in her sleep, the book lying on top of her head. After telling Harry to read certain books until the next time they would see each other, Lee went to his backpack in Harry's room and took several markers out. "Let's draw on her." Sirius stopped cheering and grinned. Payback for the last two Gryffindor victories.

Sirius took a pink marker to color the tip of her nose, and a black one to draw whiskers on her cheeks. Harry took a brown one to draw a curly mustache on her lip while Lee drew Property of Lee Starkman in small blue letters on her forehead. Remus smiled at them and started to make lunch. Sirius was just using the black marker to color her eyebrows into a mono-brow when Kim opened her eyes. Recognizing Lee's markers, Kim jumped from the couch and ran quickly into her room, slamming the door behind her. Lee looked nervously at the door, "Well, I've had a lovely time here, but I think it's high time to I started heading ou—"

The door burst open, and Kim was in the doorway carrying two thin, curved, swords, looking murderous. "How dare you! I shall duel you to regain my honor, you lowly bastard." Kim threw the sword to him, and Lee easily caught it by the handle.

Lee strutted over to the couch and lifted the sword. "I shall defeat you, hag, for I am a most skill swordsmen."

Remus had just placed the sandwiches on the table and sighed. "Could you try to talk it out? Please? Must you always express things with medieval speech and violence?"

Sirius nodded. "I cleaned that carpet back in January! Don't get any blood on it. I might have to clean it again."

Nevertheless, the swords clanged together, and Harry decided that this was the most interesting summer he ever had. Both were in fact skilled swordsmen or swordswoman as Kim would yell and never were really able to hit each other until the end of the duel. Kim tried to cut Lee's head off, and he managed to dodge so fast that it was almost a blur. Remus threatened to call aurors to come and stun them. Still, they kept on fighting, Kim looking ridiculous with the drawings on her face, and Lee making a rather constipated look as he concentrated. Lee tried to cut Kim's arm, but was met with the clang of a sword.

The battle finally ended when Lee committed the greatest sin. Aiming from Kim's neck, Lee swirled his sword straight for it, expecting her to dodge it like he had. She wasn't quick enough, however, and Lee just managed to stop the sword as it scraped her neck. In Kim's eyes he was too late though, because on that side of her head, he managed to cut all the hair below her chin off. Her eyes became wide with horror as she slowly turned her head to look at the pile of dark red hair on the ground. Lee backed away, hands up in surrender and laughing nervously. "Now, now, Kim, remember when we were little, and you beat up that large girl who was bullying me? You had short hair then! And you were just as, um, cool? Yeah! So don't become that big girl who beat me up for my lunch money! Have mercy on my soul!"

Sirius turned to Lee. "It was nice knowing you, Buddy." Just as he finished, Kim shrieked in despair.

Remus tried not to smile. "This is why you don't sword fight in the house…or anywhere for that matter?"

Harry walked up to her and inspected her. Grinning, he wondered aloud, "I wonder if it will stick up like mine, now that it doesn't have all that weight?" Kim looked like she was ready to throw up.

She gripped the fallen hair and said softly, "I must cut the rest of it, so I can have a proper funeral for it."

Remus frowned. "I could just grow it back magically."

"NEVER!" She yelled. "I would never disrespect my fallen comrade in such a way."

Lee forgot that he could be executed at any moment. "Ooo! Pick me! I'll cut it so the back isn't all choppy." Kim glared at him but nodded solemnly.

Harry smiled as they marched into the bathroom. "And to think, right about now I would be weeding the garden at the Dursleys."

* * *

Kim dressed up in the outfit that she wore for her grandmother's funeral (complete with a black veil and everything) to the funeral of her hair. She gave the eulogy as Lee grumbled that she had some serious split ends anyway. She placed all her hair in an old shoebox and buried it several inches below the ground. Sighing wearily, Kim started off, "Oh hair! You have been there whenever I needed you most. You were there when I stole the neighbor's horse and was arrested for grand theft stallion. You were there when I wrote a story about father frolicking in a field of roses, sent it to the local newspaper, and was arrested for slander. You were there when I fell asleep on the Night Bus on the way to Platform 9 ¾ and woke up in an Irish jailhouse, arrested for illegal immigration. You were there when—"

Lee cut her off. "First of all, how are you not in prison right now? Second of all, you know you could have donated have all that hair to little kids with cancer, right?" Kim stared at him for a moment and then jumped to the ground, furiously digging towards the shoebox.

* * *

The next day, Alastor showed up at the same time as yesterday, ready to teach the kids how to physically fight. Unfortunately, Sirius and Remus were out "grocery shopping" as Harry called it, although Alastor had reason to believe that someone must have kidnapped them because the boy said they had been gone about two and a half hours. When the girl finally managed to roll out of bed, Alastor grinned at her shortened hair. "It makes you look less scrawny and weak." Kim frowned, not entirely sure if that was an insult or not. Since when does long hair make you look scrawny and weak?

Lee looked up from his textbook and took off his reading glasses. "You'd look even less so if you put on a few pounds. Short and twiggy. Eat more cake." Alastor nodded in agreement as Kim's glower deepened. _I guess that's when._

FINALLY, after being gone almost three hours, Sirius and Remus appeared through the fireplace. Alastor quickly checked to make sure they weren't imposters, asking questions and using spells to try to take off any glamors. After a moment, he nodded, satisfied that they weren't Bellatrix and Peter in disguise and sat back down on what he now dubbed "his" chair, waiting impatiently as they took the groceries out of their pocket and unshrunk them on the kitchen table. As Harry and Lee helped put them away, Kim interrogated. "What took you so long? Were there bullies? Do you need me to slice them up with my swords?"

Remus frowned at her while Sirius opened his mouth to say that it was Snape. Before Hogwarts could be without a Potions Master, Remus opted for a strange thing called the truth. "No! I never want to see those swords again! There was a long line, and we ran into Molly, who wanted to know why we let the kitchen become so bare."

Kim stared back at him, trying to see if he was telling the truth. After a moment, she said, "Okay then." And started putting the strawberry milk and regular milk into the refrigerator.

Instead of an obstacle course this time, Alastor gave a long speech about constant vigilance and learning the way your enemies fight so you can outsmart them. Harry tried his best to imagine Voldemort trying to punch him in the face but just couldn't picture it, especially in the state that his enemy was in now. Mad-Eye said this was good because Voldemort will not be suspicious of Harry punching him in the face, giving him an advantage.

Harry was reluctant when Mad-Eye tried to get him to fight Kim because she was a girl, but Lee shook his head and said, "Isn't obvious? She's just a boy who stuffs her bra."

Kim hissed and swatted at him. "I'll flash you to prove that you're a dirty filthy liar if you don't shut the Hell up." Sirius almost attacked Mad-Eye when he said she should use that to distract an attacker so she could swoop in for the kill. Luckily, he had Remus to stop him from "swooping in for the kill" and finding himself in Azkaban once more.

Lee quickly shielded his eyes. "No! You'll burn my retinas." Kim laughed triumphantly while Lee fearfully volunteer to fight Harry, hoping that Kim wouldn't flash him out of spite.

Mad-Eye nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I thought this might happen, girl, so I sent for auror trainee Tonks to come over in about…" He checked his watch, which was so old looking and beat up that Kim wondered if it was a sundial instead of a real watch. Still, she thought it suited him well, since he was rather old and beat up looking himself. "Half an hour's time."

Harry found it difficult to block Lee's punches, as Mad-Eye instructed, because when Dudley and his gang went "Harry Hunting", he often found it was best to just stand there and take whatever beating they wanted to give him. Then, they would get bored faster and leave him alone. But, as Mad-Eye would say, Death Eaters or Voldemort wouldn't get bored, they'd kill him, or even worse, use that spell that Voldemort used on Pettigrew on him.

He used his seeker skills to dodge any of Lee's attempted blows to the head but had trouble being fast enough to block any punches or kicks to his stomach. Kim kept cheering for him and yelling that he should kick Lee until he couldn't have children. Harry almost turned away from the fight to give her a disgusted look. There was no way that his foot or any other part of him was going to anywhere near that part of Lee or any other guy.

It was only when Lee smirked and acted like he was going to punch him as hard as he could in the stomach did Harry manage to block it, but in one of the oddest ways that any of the spectators had ever seen. Just as Lee's fist went to make contact with Harry's abdomen, Harry lifted up his foot and kicked his fist away, causing them both to fall to the ground. Sirius roared with laughter while Remus tried to contain his and said, "That was, er…interesting." The corners of his mouth were twitching.

Alastor rolled his biological eye. "What is it, Potter? Are you used to just standing there and taking a beating or something? Most boys your age have been in a fight or two." Harry felt himself blush.

Kim glared at him. "Rule number one of fighting a bully: don't defend yourself, whether it be verbally or physically, it just makes them madder. It's best to just ignore them."

Lee stood up and raised an eyebrow at her. "You never did that! Ever! You called Stella every name in the book and stomped on her foot when she pushed you in the mud when you guys were seven. You broke two of her toes!"

Kim stared at him for a minute, trying to use her imaginary telepathic powers to tell Lee that she just wanted Mad-Eye to leave Harry alone, and shrugged, "Which is why Stella kept messin' with me."

Alastor held up his hand to silence them. "Voldemort and his followers aren't going to get bored!" Harry smiled to himself, wiping the dirt off his pants. "However, today is Sunday, and I have classes to teach all week. We will continue next weekend."

At the edge of the wards, Harry saw a woman with bright pink hair suddenly appear out of nowhere. She waved, and Sirius flicked his wand, temporarily allowing her to come through for the day. To be able to come whenever she wanted, she needed approval from Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore at the same time. Alastor shook his head in disapproval as he checked to make sure Dora was Dora while Sirius tried to explain that anyone with glamors, Polyjuice Potion, or disillusionment charms on them would not be allowed to come in until everyone approved of him. Dora frowned during Moody's interogation, wondering how Alastor knew things about her like how old she was when she lost her first tooth. She answered him but wanted to know why someone she just recently met was able to dig up so much information on her. Alastor refused to answer.

Kim strutted up to Dora, sizing her up. "While I enjoy your hair, I'm also going to enjoy kicking your ass." Dora raised her eyebrows and tried not to frown. Who did this little pipsqueak think she was? She smiled as Professor Lupin chastised the girl, causing who could only be Kimberly Potter to pout in annoyance.

While Dora had to admit that she underestimated Kim, Kim also underestimated her. Dora nonchalantly went to throw a punch at her when Kim grabbed her fist with surprising strength and used it to slam her into the ground. Dora gasped, but still managed to throw Kim off her balance just as the girl moved to literally kick her ass.

Suddenly determined, Dora stood up to face Kim again and blinked in surprise as the girl assumed the stance of a ninja. Mad-Eye bellowed, "She's doing it to distract you!" Dora looked back over to Kim and discovered that this was very true because the girl was suddenly charging at her with a dangerous, yet gleeful, look in her eyes. Dora quickly moved out of the way but was a little disappointed to see that Kim didn't fall and was able to stop herself. She didn't want to lose in front of Mad-Eye and deal with the taunting tomorrow.

Kim giggled. "You're fun! You don't start crying like those reporters at Hogwarts!" Dora took the opportunity to run over to Kim herself, but instead of trying to dodge it, Kim charged right back at her. Of course, they collided, but Kim was ready for it, holding her hands out to push her to the ground.

Dora got up almost instantly, panting slightly. And pretending to punch Kim and tricked her into blocking that while she used her own foot to swiftly knock Kim off her feet. Kim, of course, grabbed Dora's ankles and pulled them until she fell flat on the ground. After a few moments of them being engaged in a frustrated slap fight, Alastor put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. "I can see that this is going nowhere, although I am happy to say that Tonks didn't let her clumsiness get the better of her. See you on Monday, Klutz." Dora's hair turned charcoal black in fury as Mad-Eye left without another word.

Before Dora got the chance to curse him, Sirius ruffled her hair and asked, "Care to stay for lunch, Nymphy?" Dora wished she knew how to morph her hair into fire.

Kim hopped quickly in circles around her, cheering with her fists punching the air, "Yes she would! Yes she would!" Dora pursed her lips. Fifteen minutes ago, the girl proudly said that she was going to have fun kicking her ass. Dora shrugged and nodded. Kim threw her hands up in the air and yelled, "Woohoo!"

At the lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches in tomato soup, Lee pounded his fist on the table as he remembered something, causing the soup to slosh and splatter a little. He stared Kim down. "Calvin says that you romantically involved with a certain Draco Lucius Malfoy?"

Sirius shook his head. "Romantically involved is a very strong term. Their more like friends who occasionally hold hands." Remus wondered what kind of fantasy world Sirius was living in.

Kim ignored him. "Yes! But I didn't knowing his middle name was Lucius. Fascinating." She broke up half her sandwich, threw it in the tomatoey pool, let it bob up and down in the soup.

Lee smiled. "Well, the way I see it, there's a fifty-fifty chance he's a coward."

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Well, the way I see it, there's a fifty-fifty chance that you were the one who switched the sugar with for my cereal for breakfast that time you slept over to hang with Calvin."

Lee waved her off. "That's beside the point. Did you know the week before I went to Romania that I stayed at Malfoy Manor?" Kim shook her head, wanting to stomp on his foot. "Well, I did. Something about my mom being friends with yours and your mom being friends with his. Anyway, being the manly man that I am, I tried to seduce the lady of the house." Kim's glowered deepened, knowing that Lee often tried to do "manly man" things to try to prove that he wasn't gay. When they were kids it was sports like baseball. Now it must be being Mr. Stud with the ladies. She wondered if who he was bothering in Romania was a man or a woman. She had a hunch at who it was, but now, she wasn't so sure. "Instead of succumbing to my charm, she slapped me in the face and proceeded to berate me for my sinful behavior. When her husband discovered my actions, he simply gave me money to stay at a hotel. In my humble opinion, Narcissa is brave because she did not fear me or that her husband would be suspicious that she had any part in the lecherous act that I was hoping to commit. She flat out told me all of my wrong doings and, well, put me in my place instead of letting her husband do it. Lucius is a coward so he just tried to pay me off. They made a baby, so genetics! Fifty-fifty chance that you're special boy is a coward." Lee grinned.

"Since when is cowardice genetic!" Kim hissed. "And you belong in prison!"

Lee looked outraged. "Your record is _way_ longer than mine! And besides, I didn't _do_ anything! I just asked if she would keep me warm that night!"

Trying to break the awkward silence that seeped in after that comment, Dora asked, "So Harry? Is the baggy clothes thing the latest muggle fad?"

Harry shyly said, "No." Lee said the same thing, but sounded more outraged. "They're my cousin's, and he's rather big. I don't have any other clothes." Harry turned pink while a different awkward silence filled the room.

After a moment, Sirius grinned, knowing that he was going to drain the life out of Moony's soul tomorrow. "Well, you know what that means, Kiddo." Harry just stared at him. "Tomorrow we're all going shopping." Harry shook his head and stuttered that he'd rather not while Sirius continued, "You need more robes too, Moony." Remus's eyes widened. Shopping with Sirius meant being at the store for at the very least four hours. Sirius was going to want to redo both of their wardrobes. That meant probably all day. Oh the horror!

**A/N: Thanks for reading! A lot of girls have a fear of chopping off all their hair, and Kim's one of them. Also, she's not going to go crazy and think she's a lion, but I want to have a reason for Remus to make Harry and Kim see that healer for a checkup because I want Kim's healer to become a healer for the Order along with Madame Pomfrey (very important in 6****th**** year). Also, **_**Crime and Punishment **_**is a Russian novel that I had to read my senior year in high school. Everyone in my class thought it was boring, but I loved it. Lee has heard of Horocruxes because his family is dark like the Pendragons. The Starkmans are not werewolf hunters, but their occupation will be revealed in the next chapter. Either way, he's not going to remember Horocruxes until somebody says something about them. The full moon was on the 23****rd**** of June in 1994 so next chapter also means Professor Snape seeing Kim for the first time since the final. Please read and review!**


	3. Shopping, Baseball, and Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: This is just a note for the ending. Antonin is the death eater Dolohov's first name. (He's the one who killed Remus in DH.)**

Chapter 3

Sirius teamed up with Dora the following morning to force everyone to go to Diagon Alley. Harry had to say that he liked Diagon Alley, but shopping for clothes seemed, well, boring. He remembered as a child Aunt Petunia arguing with the salespeople because they didn't have Dudley's size and later on have to sit for hours waiting for Dudley to be measured for his finer clothing to be tailor made. Aunt Petunia always wanted Dudley to look his best during Uncle Vernon's family Christmas parties at the office or Bring Your Child to Work Day. Harry had fallen asleep and had been forgotten at the tailor's by Aunt Petunia on more than one occasion.

Kim and Lee quickly got kicked out of the current clothing store they were in when they told Sirius that they could not picture Harry wearing leather gloves in the winter, and Harry wondered if they were his last hope of not spending the rest of his days dressed like a biker. He could only hope that Remus could be able to save him. Harry eyed Dora warily as she looked at a florescent pink and light pink frilly looking dress shirt that was just about his size. Leather gloves combined with girly shirts. These two were trying to kill him. Sirius turned around from the rack that was behind the stores window. "What do you think of these?" Harry's jaw dropped. They were leather pants. Dora ran up and put the pink shirt over the pants with a big smile on her face. She fingered the florescent frills at the sleeves as if she wanted to try it on herself. It reminded him of a flower.

Harry bit his lip. "Are you guys trying to prank me or something? Because this…" He gestured to the outfit they made. "Is just plain horrible."

Sirius's face fell, and before Harry could give in out of guilt, Remus said, "Maybe Harry would like to start with normal clothes." Sirius blinked. These were normal clothes in his opinion. Remus smiled. "Remember the days before your motor bike? T-shirts? Jeans? Ring any bells?" Remus didn't know why Sirius was all of the sudden looking into the leather again. After Azkaban, he just wore the robes that he managed to find in his basement. Remus never was able to get rid of Sirius's stuff back in 1981, and now he didn't have to be ashamed of it.

Sirius's shudders slumped. "Fine." They walked off to the other end of the store, which was owned by Madame Malkin's husband. Thankfully, this side seemed to have more normal (bland in Sirius and Dora's opinion) clothing. Sirius brightened up when Harry agreed to buy some Quidditch t-shirts and ran over to them, telling Harry which teams were better and that the Chudley Cannons were losers. Remus couldn't help but remember when they were nineteen, and Sirius bought James leather pants for Christmas. James had to wear them at least every other week to please Sirius until James literally hired a bunch of thugs to pretend to mug him and steal his pants. Sirius went after them and caught one, beating him up while the other made away with the pants. When Lily confessed this to Remus, she said that the thugs charged James extra for that beating. Remus smiled. Potter men must really not like leather pants.

Meanwhile, Kim and Lee were wandering around, waiting for lunch time when Sirius said to meet them at the Leaky Cauldron. Kim stopped when she saw Draco having ice cream with his parents. Kim turned to Lee with her hands on her hips and a determined look on her face. "Kidnap him."

Lee frowned and teased, "Lucius Malfoy?"

She slapped him on the arm and pointed at her boyfriend. "NO! He's no fun! Draco!"

Feeling the glee spreading through him, Lee pranced up to the ice cream parlor. Draco's back was to him while Narcissa and Lucius were sitting across from each other on the small, round, light blue table. Lee smiled and winked at Narcissa. "I missed you, my beauty."

Narcissa returned the smile, knowing that he was joking this time, but her husband still glared at him. Draco turned around, wondering who he was. Laughing, Lee picked Draco up, laughing harder as the boy squealed, and ran off.

Narcissa looked over to where Lee ran off and noticed a girl with short red hair peeking at them from behind the corner of a building and quickly hiding herself when she realized she was seen. Narcissa tried to hide her smile. She was cute. Lucius spun around to see what she was smiling at, but the girl was already gone. "What are you smiling at woman?! Our son has just been kidnapped!"

Shaking her head and chuckling lightly, Narcissa replied, "He's just with a new friend. Nothing to worry about."

Lucius threw down his spoon into his vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. "Didn't look like it to me."

"If you thought he was in danger, you'd be chasing after them." Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Besides, I want him to have other friends besides Crabbe and Goyle. They are just…dreadful." Narcissa shuddered, remembering the last time those apes were at her dining table.

Lucius frowned. "I've known their fathers since I was just a boy." Narcissa raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright! They're dreadful. But he has Pansy and Blaise too!"

"I think Draco will feel like a bit of a third wheel if he spent all his time with them." Narcissa bit the bottom of her ice cream cone, licking at the strawberry ice cream melting out. Pansy and Blaise looked at each other as if the wedding bells were already ringing.

Lucius brought his brows together in confusion. "Wouldn't Blaise feel like the third wheel?" If Kim were there, she'd say that Lucius was as emotionally dense as Ron.

Narcissa made a face similar to her husband's, until she realized that Draco had yet to tell his father of his current relationship and the end of his previous one. She sighed. "My mistake, love. Sorry." She hoped Draco told Lucius before Kimberly found out that Draco had been keeping this from his family. She'd think that Draco was ashamed of her, that he thought she wasn't good enough to have his family know about her. Narcissa knew that that would break her heart if Lucius did anything like that to her.

In the adjacent alley way, Lee proudly put down the struggling Draco and said, "I have found what you asked for, my lady." His grinned only widened when Draco fell to the ground, too busy struggling to stand on his feet upon release.

Draco dusted the dirt off his robes and glared at Lee. "Wait until my father—" He stopped and smiled goofily when he saw who "my lady" was.

Kim frowned and her eyes widened. "If you're laughing at my hair, it-it's all his fault!" She pointed to Draco's kidnapper nervously.

Draco wondered what she was talking about for a minute until he noticed her hair. His smile widened. "You finally got rid of it."

"WHAT?" Draco wondered why she was so angry while Lee laughed triumphantly. "I-I didn't get rid of it! I lost it in an epic battle against evil!" Kim once again pointed to Lee, who was still laughing at her.

Draco bit his lip to keep from laughing at her too. "I like it. It's wavy." Lee started crying with laughter while Kim turned a little pink.

She tried and failed to cover her shy smile with a pout. "Yeah, well…um…You never let us celebrate your birthday! We need to find cake!" Kim grabbed his arm and ran off in search of the nearest bakery, Lee following closely behind. In Draco's opinion, they were going way to fast to find any bakery, but Kim stopped in her tracks at the sight of _The Baker's Bakery_, causing him and Lee to slam into her. She grinned and hugged him close to her. "What kind of cake do you like, Birthday Boy?"

Draco squirmed under both their stares, especially since Kim was staring him down just a few inches away from his face. "Er, vanilla with vanilla icing?" They raised their eyebrows at him but went into the bakery with no complaint.

Luckily there wasn't anyone else in there or Draco had a feeling that Kim would have announced to the entire bakery that it was his birthday. Kim marched up to the counter and pounded her fist on the bell. The woman in charge wondered if she was her bell was broken, but still asked, "How may I help you?"

Kim pointed to Draco, ignoring his flush of embarrassment. "It's his birthday, well sort of, and I love him so he needs a cake." The woman smiled at him, causing him to blush only deeper. "He likes vanilla with vanilla icing. But I want you to write Happy Birthday Draco Lucius Malfoy in rainbow colors! Do you guys use food coloring here?" The baker nodded. "Good. So vanilla with all sorts of colors."

They waited outside for the cake to bake, and Draco couldn't help but glare at Lee. From the sound of things, he was Kim's only friend before she came to Hogwarts, and so, Draco being Draco couldn't help but feel jealous. They must be really close and before Lee kidnapped him, they were alone together. His glare deepened while Lee nervously smiled back as Kim ranted about the sword fight that resulted in her loss of hair. It didn't help that Lee was taller and more muscular than Draco. Kim stopped mid-sentence. "What's the matter?"

Draco flinched at being caught. "I, well… Why is he all alone with you? Where are Potter and the rest?" Once Lee realized Draco was glaring at him because he was jealous, he relaxed. He thought Lucius told him what he did to Draco's mom. He would have had to say that Narcissa was a very beautiful woman, and that he couldn't resist, and then there would probably be a fight.

Kim giggled. "Harry's forcibly being covered in leather by Sirius. We tried to stop such tyranny and were kicked out of the store because of it." Draco wondered if she was kidding or not.

Lee said in a sing song voice, "Somebody's jealous!"

"Am not!" Draco felt himself turn red.

Kim waved them both off. "Of course he is! I am so beautiful that no man…or woman could resist me! So, moving on! What are we going to get Draco for his birthday?"

Lee rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Yes…What to get for the jealous little monster…" Draco wondered if they knew he was still here. "You said he likes healing…Does he like to dissect things?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but Kim cut him off. "You know what? I have no idea! I want to get him…a psychology book!" She got up and ran off to find the nearest book store.

Draco frowned. "Are you guys just messing with me or something?"

Lee smirked. "Of course not! Okay, yeah, maybe." Lee turned serious once Kim was out of ear shot. "So does she have an eating disorder or something?"

Draco stared. "I thought you of all people would know!" Lee shook his head, he'd been  
"absent" for three years. "She never talks about it and gets really mad when someone brings it up. Nobody really knows what happened. Just that last summer, she was stabbed and lost half her stomach because of it." Lee's expression darkened. Draco felt his heart rate speed up. "Do you have any ideas about what happened?"

Lee paled, as if the thought of voicing it aloud scared him. "Yeah." Draco stared at him, but he said nothing more.

When Kim returned twenty minutes later, skipping with a green paper bag containing a book on developmental psychology, both boys were in a rather sour mood. "What's up? Are you guys fighting? Because if you are, I'm going to have to lock you in a room until you make up."

"You took forever! We are annoyed because we want cake!" Draco looked up in surprise at Lee's cheerful words. The other boy's eyes were blazing.

Once they bought the cake and found a table a few blocks away that they could eat at, Kim handed him the book, which was unwrapped, and Draco couldn't help but be reminded of his godfather. Draco and Severus were stilling talking, but it took most of dinner that night for Draco to feel his anger subside. He just hoped that Severus would keep his promise. If not, Draco didn't know if he would ever forgive him.

Kim and Lee loudly sung "Feliz Cumpleaños" to him instead of "Happy Birthday", and earned the trio quite a few stares. Lee cut the cake weird with a plastic knife that he took from a nearby restaurant. He cut the Birthday part out and cut it into three pieces. Then he pushed the Happy part to the rest of the cake so it read "Happy Draco Lucius Malfoy" in rainbow letters. Draco smiled when Lee said that Draco should give that part to his family, to prove that he wasn't kidnapped and was a "happy Draco" the entire time.

They didn't really look in any stores in Diagon Alley. Draco said that he and his parents were supposed to take a portkey to Italy at noon and that his parents always said that if they got separated, to meet them at the Leaky Cauldron. Because it was eleven, Kim decided that they would have a good old game of tag, much to the displeasure of the shoppers that day. And because Draco was dubbed "the Birthday Boy", he was also dubbed "it".

At first he thought Lee would be the easiest to catch, but he always hid in the crowd, and Draco found himself being whacked in the head with an old lady's purse before he could catch him. As he sprinted away to find Kim, Neville Longbottom laughed as his Gran bragged that her purse was able to scare the delinquent boy away. Never in all his life did Neville think that he'd see Draco Malfoy playing tag.

When he spotted Kim, she squealed with delight at being chased. She ran around in huge circles around an empty area in front of Gringotts at first, but started running back into the traffic of people once she realized that he was catching up to her. Lee was nowhere to be seen.

Draco felt his eyes widen when Kim started racing towards Knockturn Alley. Only Kim would happily run into the most dangerous place in London in order to avoid getting tagged. He charged at her and yelled, "Don't you dare!" People from that wretched place were already eying Kim like a piece of meat, which to them, she probably was. You only entered Knockturn Alley if you were with someone who was really into the Dark Arts, like his father for example. Otherwise, they'd tear you to shreds. Kim giggled as she danced in front of the entrance, pointing one toe into Knockturn Alley before Draco grabbed her, causing them both to fall on a garbage can next to the entrance.

Kim wrinkled her nose at the stink. "It's not like I would have been shot at the border! I was entering this area of darkness legally."

Draco smiled shyly, as he was lying on top of her in a pile of trash. "I guess I overreacted."

Kim pulled a fish skeleton out from behind her head and threw it in his face. "You got that right, Mister! I think you need to go on time out, take a chill pill or something—" He chuckled, silencing all her further protests with a kiss.

After a minute, Lee made his presence know. "I saved the cake guys. Oh, and its eleven fifty." He looked at Draco disapprovingly. "Time sure flies when you're kissing Kim in a pile of garbage that smells so bad I want to vomit." Draco picked up the decaying fish skeleton and playfully threw it at Lee's feet.

Lucius was waiting impatiently for Draco in the Leaky Cauldron when the boy was suddenly pushed into the room by Kimberly Pendragon. He looked at his son in disgust. "What is that awful smell? And why are you with that girl?" Before Draco could answer, it was time to use to porkey, and once they were in Italy, Lucius quickly forgot to ask again when Draco presented him with the cake. Like Draco, vanilla was his favorite.

Kim and Lee met everyone in the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, and, much to Remus's dismay, discovered that Sirius wanted Remus to get new robes afterwards. Kim ordered chicken noodle soup and laughed when Sirius ordered a Ron-sized meal. He pouted. "I was working hard all day! I need to reenergize so I can fix up Moony's wardrobe! What did you do all day? It smells like you were rolling around in a dumpster."

Kim sipped her strawberry milk. "I organized a kidnapping, ate cake, bought a present, played tag, and was tackled into a garbage can for putting a toe into Knockturn Alley."

Lee nodded and said proudly, "I was the kidnapper."

"Could you never try to put a toe or the rest of you in Knockturn Alley again?" Remus tried to keep his voice light as the food arrived. "It's not the best place to be." Harry bit his lip and focused on his chicken sandwich, remembering his own time in Knockturn Alley and knowing that that would probably give Remus more gray hairs.

After lunch, Lee and Kim were permitted to come to Madame Malkin's, but they both found it to be quite boring. Kim looked around at the different fabrics, admiring the fact that there were even robes especially for farming. They were in all sorts of colors and were charmed to repel dirt and fertilizer. Anyone who bought them could go out gardening in the finest attire if they wished. Once Kim found out that this was where Harry met Draco for the first time, she made him tell her what happened in detail while Lee rolled his eyes and decided to ask Madame Malkin if she made anything flame resistant. Kim made a surprised face when Harry finished his story. "Why was he such a prick?"

Remus and the Madame gave Kim a disapproving look while Harry awkwardly said, "Er…He's always like that. He's just nice around you."

"Well…hmm…What am I going to do about that?" Kim stared at the ceiling. "I know! I'll just have to be around him at all times." She suddenly made her voice serious to sound creepy as she looked back at Harry. "Forever."

Harry raised his eyebrows at her. "Well, good luck with that." She giggled and whacked him with a worn looking purple pillow that was on the couch against the wall.

* * *

About an hour before dinner back at the cottage, Remus came up to Kim, who was trying to learn origami while Lee was teaching Harry more animagus lessons. "Severus is going to be here in a couple minutes." Remus tried to see if he saw any anger in her eyes as she threw a failed attempt at making a swan at Lee's head. There was none. "Can I trust you to behave yourself? I would prefer not to worry about Severus poisoning me every month."

"I swear on my stuffed animal collection that I will not accidently try to kill Severus Snape." Kim held up her hand in scout's honor to prove it. Remus hoped she was right. He locked Sirius in their bedroom to keep him from "accidently killing" Snape.

When Severus emerged from the fireplace, looking as sour as ever, Lee's jaw dropped. "Dude!" Severus glowered at him, not in the least bit amused. "Are you related to Uncle Tobias?"

Severus paled while Kim's hair bristled. "Who are you?"

Kim whipped her head towards Lee, looking somewhat hysterical. "What gives you that idea?"

Lee looked at her like she was stupid. "They look almost exactly alike!" He smiled, like a kid who was about to show off that they did something bad. "I stopped by his place in London before I came here."

Kim's eyes went a little glassy, causing Lee to frown. He hadn't been around her in three years, but last he checked, she never had a problem with Uncle Tobias. After a moment, she screeched, "They look nothing alike."

Before they could start arguing, Remus cut in. "Who is Uncle Tobias?" Severus wanted to ask them the same question. Why would his father be so connected to people in the wizarding world? As far as he knew, his father hated magic.

Lee smiled at the memory of six days ago while Kim played with her hands in agitation. "He's a muggle. But somehow he knows about us, you know magic people. I don't know about here, but it's illegal in the American Ministry to use tracking charms on muggles. So, it makes him the perfect criminal in our world." Lee paused, looking at Kim to see if he should continue, but she was staring off into space. "Anyway, Kim's family hunts werewolves while my family hunts vampires. As you know, werewolf and vampire venom is incompatible. Therefore, if both are ingested, the person will not be infected. However, the effects are…well, there's no other way to put it, incredible. You thoughts move fast like a vampire's and you have the senses of a werewolf. Everything is just…so much better. You feel so happy, so invincible." Lee acquired a dreamy look on his face.

Severus stared, at first not knowing what to say. Never had he thought that his father would have wanted to move to America because of this. He didn't know why, but he reluctantly admitted, "He's my father."

Kim suddenly went rigid with rage. Almost savagely, she said, "Well, you tell your father that if I ever see him again I am going to rip him apart with my bare hands. There is not a man on this earth who I hate more than Uncle Tobias." She looked at Severus and for the first time saw the man that she had desperately suppressed from her thoughts for almost a year. At that moment, Kim couldn't help but hate Snape, because of who his father was. All the windows in the house suddenly shattered. Sirius yelled in surprise in the other room. Kim got up and angrily ran into her room, slamming the door so hard that a picture of her smiling and teething on multicolored plastic keys as a baby fell from the wall in the living room next to it. The glass covering the picture cracked.

* * *

Kim came out to dinner like nothing happened, ignoring the fact that Sirius had a small cut on the side of his face from the glass breaking. She played with her spaghetti and meatballs while everyone wondered what to say. Finally, Lee asked, "Is this because Uncle Tobias was sleeping with your mom?"

Kim tensed up again. "No. Just forget about it. I doubt I'll ever see him again." She wondered to herself what would happen if she did. Would she lose control again?

Lee shrugged. "Whatever. Tomorrow's my last day here. So don't ruin it by being all broody."

Sirius smirked. Not wanting Kim to go into a rage again. They'd talk to her about it in a few days. Let her calm down. That's what Moony said. "The days go by fast when your sword fighting, trying to teach my godson how to become an animagus, and let's not forget giving poor Ronald Weasley a concussion from apples. Oh! And how could we not remember making Kim pee her pants."

Lee blushed. That would have made his father want him to go on some kind of medication. "I was excited to see her for more than five minutes since three years ago."

"Where were y—Ow!" Harry made a face at Kim for kicking him under the table.

Lee sighed, but for some reason, didn't feel like he would be judged for telling the truth. "I liked muggles. My parents didn't. I got caught with something. I don't even remember what it was." Kim bit at her thumb nail. He was planning on running away to New York the minute he turned seventeen. It was more of a fantasy really, but still, his parents found the magazines and ads for small apartments for wizards or witches who wished to live among muggles. How could he not remember that? "Anyway, they said that they had to get the, what was it they called it? Abnormality out of me, I believe is the term they used. They sent me to a mental institution, and because there was nothing wrong with me, I couldn't be "cured" and sent home. I was stuck there until Kim was able to bust into her trust fund to bribe the people at the hospital to let me out."

Harry didn't know what to say. He knew if Uncle Vernon didn't care so much about money that the Dursleys would have tried to do something similar to him. From the look on Sirius's face, he could tell that his godfather was thinking along the same lines. Remus made sure to look Lee in the eye when he said, "Well, you know that you always have a home here." Lee beamed.

* * *

The next day, Kim and Lee appeared at breakfast in red and white baseball uniforms. Lee thrust one at Harry and said, "For my last day here, we have challenged the Weasleys to a baseball game. Whoever wins are the most powerful wizards of all time!"

Kim clenched her fists, looking determined. "Together, we will defeat the Red Menace!"

Harry smiled at Kim. "You have red hair too. And you're dressed in red." Lee just continued to push the uniform at him until he agreed and took it.

During the rest of breakfast, Lee explained to Sirius what baseball was, and he agreed to be the fourth player for their team. Fred and George blackmailed Percy into being umpire. Remus couldn't stop laughing when they managed to squeeze Sirius into a uniform that used to be Sylvia's. It was so tight that Sirius could barely move.

At the Burrow, Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron were going over Lee's letter once again, which explained baseball. They took stepping stones from the garden to use as bases. Lee quickly ran over to transfigure them into real ones. Ginny looked up from the letter and turned red as she tried to contain her laughter. "What are you wearing? Sirius! It looks like yours is about to burst at the seams!" Sirius grumbled at everyone's laughter, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Team Strawberry—no, Team The Strawberries of Eternal Darkness, as Lee and Kim comprised, won the coin toss and was the first up to bat. Sirius went first, just because everyone wanted to see if he'd rip his clothes swinging the bat. He ripped the sleeves at the shoulders but still managed to get to first base, proving that his beater skills had survived all these years. Harry hit the ball after getting one strike, but Sirius forgot that he had to run to second base, and they both got out. Lee was up next and hit the ball so hard that he hit a home run, cartwheeling to home base. As George went to retrieve the ball, it was discovered that Lee hit a gnome in the head, and it was rendered unconscious. Kim was last and thought she was going to make it to second base, but then Ron caught her ball before she was half way to second. She sunk to the ground, fake wailing in defeat.

Fred and George were the first two up to bat, considering that they were beaters for the Gryffindor team. Fred got to second base and then to third after George hit the ball after two strikes. Ginny was up next, but being a seeker whenever she played Quidditch and never playing baseball before, struck out. It was all up to Ron. Lee, the pitcher, was determined to strike him out since the bases were loaded. Ron was determined to get revenge for all those apples to the head and wanted Team The Red Menace, as Kim labeled them, to defeat The Strawberries of Eternal Darkness. He struck out the first time and decided the best course of action was to ignore everything around him and completely concentrate on the ball. He hit it and avenged all the apples to the head but felt too bad to run to first base for The Red Menace. Fortunately for the team, Fred and George didn't feel too bad and ran to home plate.

On the ground, groaning and covering his private area, was Lee, moaning that he was going to piss blood. Looking up to the heavens, Lee cried out, "Lord, please take me now! I fear I will no longer be able to sire an heir for the Starkman family!"

Mrs. Weasley hurried over to him with an ice pack. "My goodness! I think it's time to go inside for a snack and for you all to relax! This game is too dangerous for children." If baseball was too dangerous, Harry wondered what Mrs. Weasley thought about Quidditch.

Kim cheered when Lee suddenly jumped up in the air and limped over to the Weasley matriarch. "NEVER! Someone will just have to pitch for me!"

Percy came over to from the umpire position. "I'll do it. Being an umpire is tedious. I'd rather spend my day of doing paperwork."

Fred and George gasped. "Traitor!"

Kim gripped Percy's shoulders and proudly grinned. "Welcome to the dark side!"

Percy scowled at her. "Don't touch me."

Percy felt that his own team should have had more faith in him and smiled smugly when their jaws dropped as he struck Fred out. As they switched sides, Kim insisted that it was from lifting all those heavy, boring books. Percy tried his best not to laugh. Maybe it was. Fred and George wondered if they were being pranked when Percy hit a homerun and walked calmly through all the bases. Molly wondered if she should get her camera. Sirius once again wondered if he was in some kind of alternate universe. Percy frowned. He wasn't a wimp. He just chose not to be involved in athletic hobbies.

Needless to say, Percy and Lee (after he recovered and played for the last inning) won the match for The Strawberries of Eternal Darkness, which proved that the team "the most powerful wizards of all time", as Lee claimed. Mrs. Weasley made a chocolate cake to say goodbye to Lee with and insisted that they all stay for dinner. Lee was grateful, not only because of the food, but it was also a nice distraction from his worries about returning to Romania. What if Charlie found out that he spent so much time with his family and thought Lee was even weirder than he thought previously? What if everyone else from Romania felt uncomfortable around him after they found out why Lee was suspended? Did Charlie tell them? He shook his head at all the questions and told Mrs. Weasley that this was one of the best dinners he ever had. When the woman shined from the compliment, he couldn't help but think that she smiled just like Charlie.

He waved goodbye to everyone after dinner and apperated at the edge of the Burrow's wards. Lee knew he couldn't apperate all the way to Romania and wound up taking the Knight Bus in London. He was surprised to be in Romania in less than two hours. On the outskirts of the reserve, there were several apartments and restaurants and stores that catered to the workers and researchers on there. Lee always smiled at the sight of it. The various establishments reminded him of what surrounds a typical American university. Lee felt his jaw drop at who was waiting for him outside his apartment. Charlie smiled the same smile he had seen on the man's mother's face a few hours ago. "I was wondering what time you would be back. Care to go get a cup of coffee?" Lee felt as if his legs were full of jelly as he nodded nervously. He was so wired up that he wasn't sure if he remembered how to talk. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Dolores fiddled with her pasta salad during her lunch hour, wanting nothing more than to return to her Antonin. Even though she had to sneak off to Lestrange Manor every chance she could and the place was absolutely dark and disgusting, Dolores felt like she was in heaven while in Antonin's arms. Antonin promised her that once the Dark Lord was back in power that they could be together forever, even get married. He said that if she knew what was going on in the Ministry or even something that would seem trivial to her, that it would help the Dark Lord tremendously. Therefore, he had taken to teaching her Legilimency to help her learn things that she did not have the authority to know. She was getting better at it. At the last lesson, Dolores saw the memory of the first time Antonin said he loved her through his eyes. She sighed happily like a lovesick teenager.

Scanning through the crowd in the cafeteria, Dolores tried to find someone to practice on. She would have to find someone who was dumb enough to not notice that their mind was being invaded, and someone who was not powerful enough to be around someone who would suspect something was going on. Dolores giggled to herself when she spotted Bertha Jorkins, causing the person sitting next to her to look at her oddly. She turned to see who it was. A girl with bright pink hair. No one of importance, but someone who was already suspicious of her. Dolores glared at the girl until she scurried away, reluctantly sitting next to a boy with blonde hair. The boy eyed her, wondering if he should confront her, but quickly went back to his food, or at least Dolores thought.

Keeping her temper in check, Dolores once again concentrated on Bertha Jorkins. The little fool was listening in on Arthur Weasley's conversation with his son. With every fiber of her being, Dolores concentrated on penetrating Bertha's mind. She smiled like a Cheshire cat as Bertha made a face as if suddenly having a headache as Dolores started to see various memories from the woman. Dolores saw everything from Bertha writing a letter to her mother that morning to Bertha being sorted into Gryffindor as a child. Dolores was delighted when she was able to go back a few memories in that jumbled mess. She thought she saw…There it was! It was Barty Crouch Sr., and he was putting a memory charm on Bertha. But why? The memory was so fuzzy that Dolores doubted that Bertha remembered it herself. She'd have to tell Antonin about this. He'd tell the Dark Lord, who would most defiantly know what to do. It could be nothing, but it could also be what could possibly earn Antonin his freedom. She had to tell them. If the Dark Lord found that the information was useless, he'd most certainly torture her for God knows how long, but it was a risk that Dolores was more than willing to take. She'd do anything, for her Antonin.

**A/N: Thanks for reading!** **Kim and Lee's song to Draco was just Happy Birthday in Spanish, for those who do not know any Spanish. Tobias is a clue of what happened to Kim last summer. Lee is fifteen but took his NEWTs in the hospital. Kind of like how people in prison can get their GED, which is like a high school diploma if it's called something different in other countries. Also, I forgot to mention that Harry and Kim can use magic at Remus's cottage because the wards there prevent any trace of magic. See you next week! Please R&R!**


	4. Kim's Boggart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**WARNING: The end of this chapter and the beginning of the next is why I rated this book M. It may be disturbing to some, so if you don't feel comfortable reading it, it's after the section that has Hedwig's prank, towards the end. Message me if you just want me to tell you what happened without the details. The title of the chapter gives a hint of what it is.**

Chapter 4

When Kim stumbled into breakfast the next morning, she almost ran back to room at the sight of her healer, who smirked at her aversion to him. "For the last time, Sweetheart, I don't bite." She scowled like she didn't believe him. "I was just telling Remus that he wouldn't have to worry about you one day thinking that you were a lion because the structure of the human brain would only allow that during the earlier stages of becoming an animagus, when it is most dangerous, and you're at your most vulnerable. If it was going to happen to you, it already would have." Harry was strongly reminded of Hermione. Healer Dublith seemed to know exactly what he was talking about, like Hermione sometimes infuriatingly knows everything about anything, and seemed to be the kind of person who soaked up knowledge like a sponge. He was a rather stout man, both short and slightly overweight, with iron gray hair and small circular spectacles. If he was taller and his hair was white, Harry would have been strongly reminded of Santa Claus. The healer smiled at Kim's glare. "Don't worry. I'm only here for an hour or so." She pouted, hoping he would say he was just leaving.

Healer Dublith wanted to do some routine things (horrible things in Kim's opinion) like check Kim and Harry for scoliosis and talk to Sirius about possible muscle loss from spending so much time not moving in Azkaban. He advised Remus to never take part in experimental cures for lycanthropy. There have been potions that have stopped werewolves from turning during the full moon but at a price. Apparently, those who agreed to take part in the experiment spent the rest of their lives thinking that they were rabid wolves, even when there wasn't a full moon. The Ministry eventually "put them down", as they put it, for the safety of others.

When Harry took the scoliosis test, Healer Dublith peered at the markings on his back as he checked for any abnormal curvature. "I am assuming those are from a belt?" Harry blushed and nodded. Sirius eyed the location that he kept the Firewhisky in. "Better than what I'm used to." He looked over at Kim, who glared at him, while Remus swatted Sirius away from the cabinet under the sink. "I can give you something for the scarring." The healer scribbled something in his notes and turned back to Kim. "You're turn." Kim glared at him, and went in her room, not looking to see if he followed.

They emerged from the room a moment later, Kim still looking cranky, and Harry could only assumed that she didn't want them to see her scars. Dublith nodded in approval, before sighing, and saying, "I can tell you aren't taking your potions as often as you should or you would have had better progress with your weight. Try not to be too absent minded." Remus stared her down while Kim smiled and waved nervously at him. Sirius looked like he willing to fight Remus to the death to get to that Firewhisky. Harry wondered why Kim seemed so annoyed by Dublith's presence. The healer seemed like a nice guy. But then, Harry remembered how much Kim despised going to the Hospital Wing, even though she was in there more often than he ever was last year. She must just hate going to the doctors.

After giving Sirius some potions to help him recover from some of the physical damage of Azkaban and Harry something to put in the bathtub to heal the belt marks on his back, Healer Dublith flooed off to the Leaky Cauldron, where he hoped to meet his "lucky lady" as he called it. Remus frowned at Kim once he was gone. "We need to talk."

Kim smiled brightly. "Well, if you must know. His lucky lady is Aunt Cecily. They've been having an affair for, like, five years." Harry tried to keep his eyes from bugging out. Healer Dublith must be at least twice Cecily Pendragon's age and a good half a foot shorter than her. Aunt Petunia would have been gossiping about that for weeks.

Remus sat down on his worn crimson couch and sighed, trying to figure out exactly what to say. "Are you not taking them on purpose? I thought constantly reminding you would make you think I thought you were a baby."

"I typically stay up 'til I'm about to pass out at night. I then fall asleep with a book in my hands, just remembering to turn off the little light by my bed." She smiled and shrugged like it was no big deal.

Remus looked like he wanted to rip his hair out. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to have you take it at nine. It might make you sleepy so you'll probably be out within the hour." Kim looked at him with horror. Who goes to bed before ten o'clock in the summer? "And Sirius don't drink so early in the morning." Sirius stopped in his tracks on the way to the sink.

* * *

As Thursday came about, Kim was not too happy to be heading to the Weasley's for the full moon. Harry didn't know what the big deal was. It was just a few nights. And when he voiced so, Kim yelled, "What if Ginny tries to seduce me?"

Harry frowned. He sure hoped not because he really liked Ginny. "I doubt that will happen. You're just being stubborn." She huffed in annoyance but still continued to pack her stuffed animals. She was going to try to sneak off with Draco like she told him back in the wintertime, but then he had to go to Italy. Kim rolled her eyes to herself. He'd better be home in time for her birthday.

Sirius peeked in Kim's room where Harry was waiting for her to finish packing every single stuffed animal she owned. "Moony's down stairs sleeping. He wanted you both at the Weasley's as soon as possible." Kim pouted. "Almost ready?" Kim slammed her truck shut and nodded. "Remember you're potions?" Again she nodded. They were safe under Señor Strawberry. "Okay. Let's go."

Sirius went with them through the floo on Remus's orders, to ask Mrs. Weasley to remind Kim to take her potions. She didn't know what they were for, but being Mrs. Weasley, she wanted Kim to be able to eat more so she could try to fatten her up like everyone else that ever visited her house. When Sirius left Kim realized suddenly that she had packed her stuffed animals, her potions, and nothing else and tried to get back to at least get some pajamas, but the fireplace at the cottage was blocked. Ginny smiled, "Mum can transfigure you a toothbrush, and you can borrow a pair of my pajamas." Kim sighed. She just wanted to go home. Ginny smirked as she and Kim headed up to her room. "How are you going to handle going back to Hogwarts if you get all in a tizzy from being away from home for a few nights?"

Kim's eyes widened. "I'm going to die come September Ginny."

"During my first year at Hogwarts, I brought my old blanket that Mum made me when I was small." Ginny fingered the blanket currently on her bed lovingly and laughed when Kim opened her suitcase full of stuffed animals. Kim's home away from home.

Sirius ran downstairs, making sure to lock the door behind him, and shook Moony awake. "The sun's going down. I don't want you to fall off the bed while transforming. It's bad enough that all your bones break." Remus groaned, and Sirius helped him out of the bed and to the floor, ignoring Moony's mumbling at him to go away until after he transformed. He just went about his business, moving things so Moony wouldn't break them, making sure Remus's clothes were up high so they couldn't be torn to shreds, and putting some healing potions in a dusty old cabinet. He transformed into Padfoot when Remus started to scream. Moony seemed pretty tired today, so Padfoot just curled up next to him, and they slept.

Harry smiled at the familiarity of Ron's Chudley Cannon covered room. Ron was currently ranting about Fred and George's latest prank. "The food isn't even safe anymore! I just ate a piece of candy that was left in the kitchen, and my tongue started swelling like crazy!" Ron still smiled. "But even after that Percy still fell for it and took a piece of candy from them! The git."

"Ron?"

"Hm?"

Harry bit his lip, not wanting to ruin the evening, but still wanting to voice what was bothering him since he had that horrible dream. "Do you think that now that Voldemort's followers are out of Azkaban that they'll come after me?"

Ron tensed at the word Voldemort, but said, "I'm sure it's not just you. I know he seemed to want revenge first and second year, but I'm sure he is after everyone who was against him." Somehow that didn't make Harry feel any better.

Harry ran his hands through his hair. "It just seems that he's after me specifically for some reason. I just wish I knew why. I mean think about it. Kim must have been with me when our parents died, but Voldemort went after me, not her. I just have a feeling that it's more than just chance, not just that I happened to be the first one he laid eyes on."

Ron stared up at the stickers on his ceiling for a moment. "But, why would You-Know-Who want to kill a baby? It just doesn't make sense. I mean, I know he's evil and all, but…I have a feeling that everything he does has some kind of purpose, if not he'd just get his followers to do it. I understand what you mean, but even if you weren't a baby, you hadn't done anything to him, so why? Why would You-Know-Who waste his time and ultimately lose his life, for a baby?" Harry gritted his teeth. He wished his parents were here. They were the only ones who knew exactly what happened.

When Remus blinked awake the next morning (which he would later find out was that afternoon), Sirius was already pouring potions down his mouth. Remus sometimes wondered how helpless Padfoot thought he was after a full moon. Once his vision wasn't so blurry anymore, he spotted Sirius heaving a tray of more than he could count of various kinds of pancakes. He said hoarsely, "If you think I can eat all of those, Padfoot…"

Sirius gave him a small smile. "Kim and Harry wanted to use that crazy grandmother of hers cookbook to make you pancakes, and before Molly knew it, the entire household was making you their own batch. I'd be careful with the pancakes that are filled with sprinkles at the bottom. They were made by Fred and George."

Remus sat up, ignoring all his bones creaking. How on earth was he going to get rid of them all? Knowing how Kim and Ron bicker, the only reason Ron must have made any pancakes was if Kim challenged him to a competition. That must have led to the entire house engaging in said competition, so they were going to be bugging him about which one was the best. Remus wondered if he could get Sirius to do it for him. There must be at least fifty pancakes there.

Kim and Harry stayed over the Weasley's for the weekend, so Remus could properly recover, as Mrs. Weasley put it. Sirius had a feeling that the woman just liked having a house full of kids. He wondered if Molly regretted her decision when he and Remus came through the fireplace on a Monday afternoon to find Kim chasing Ron around the living room and beating him with a pink stuffed cow. "Submit! I am Mrs. Weasley's beta! You shall follow my every order!" Remus learned that having Sirius tell them that all the pancakes were equally good did not help the situation at all.

Ron covered his head. "Ow! No way! My cherry pancakes were the best!" Percy rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe they were still fighting about that. It had been almost four days. Besides, his banana pancakes were clearly the best.

Remus held up his hands. "Wait! Wait! There will be no dominating! It's time to go home now. Where's Harry?" Sirius smirked when Kim whacked Ron one last time.

"He's with Ginny. Probably doing naughty things!" Kim clapped her hands together while Ron turned purple.

"We were not! We were helping Mr. Weasley sort out his plugs." Harry and Ginny emerged from the kitchens with a smiling Mr. Weasley. From the looks of things, Mr. Weasley got electrocuted. His hair was sticking up everywhere and looked worse than Harry's.

When the four went back to Moony's cottage, Fred and George grinned, saving their laughter for when they heard the story later. They high fived each other as Ron asked what was up. George couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing as Fred said, "We just set in motion one of our greatest pranks of all time!" Arthur sighed and tried to flatten out his hair. He was sure Molly would be in hysterics about whatever they did in a few hours.

Kim smiled when they got in the living room, proud to learn a new English saying. Fred and George tried to trick her by telling her to do something stupid while saying it, but she knew better. What they said to do while she was saying it was just plain weird, so she saw right through their little prank. Therefore, she didn't really understand why Sirius and Remus got so upset when she proudly said, "I am up the duff."

Sirius and Remus stopped in their tracks while Harry wondered why Kim looked so happy. Then he remembered that she spent the entire day with Fred and George and was about to say so when Remus said in a deadly quiet voice, "You've got to be kidding me. Please tell me that this is a prank." Sirius's face looked completely blank, but his fists were clenched, and he was shaking.

Kim frowned. "What do you mean? Isn't it good?"

"NO! IT'S NOT! HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?" Remus roared.

Kim opened her mouth to probably say something to make this worse when Harry cut it, "Wait! Wait! Kim, what does up the duff mean?" Sirius looked like he was going to explode while Remus was breathing so heavily that Harry wondered if he was going to have a heart attack.

With tears in her eyes, Kim wailed, "It means I'm happy to be home! But not anymore!" Bursting into tears, Kim ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Remus stared at where she ran off before sitting on the couch in exhausted defeat. Harry looked at Sirius, who was still standing a few feet away from the fireplace on the verge of a meltdown. "Er, is he going to be okay?"

Remus rubbed his face with his hand for a moment and said, "Yeah. He just has to restart his brain."

"I tried to say that she spent the whole day with Fred and George, but…" Harry shrugged, wondering if this could be funny yet or not.

Remus smiled and laughed at himself. "I guess I should have stopped to think about why she was so happy and proud before blowing up like that." He stood up, ignoring the still frozen Sirius. "I guess I better tell her what it means before she says it again and kills poor Sirius." He knocked and entered Kim's room while Harry was trying to shake Sirius back into the world of the living.

Kim glared at him from her bed. "I'm feeling agnsty right now. Go away."

"I'm assuming that Fred and George told you what up the duff meant?" She stayed silent, trying to make him think she was ignoring him. "Didn't you question why they would tell you this? The two of them and you have been in a bit of a prank war since late October."

Pouting, Kim grumbled, "They told me to rub my stomach while saying it. I thought that was the prank." Her face soured even more as Remus started laughing at her.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Remus smiled and said, "It means to be pregnant, Kim."

Kim sat up and blinked in surprise. "Well, that explains a lot." After a moment, her eyes narrowed. "I have a plan."

The Weasleys were having dinner when Kim's plan of revenge was enacted. Percy was just about to ask Ginny to pass the mashed potatoes when Sirius stormed in, eyes ablaze with "anger". Molly frowned while Arthur wondered exactly what the twins did. "What's the matter Sirius? Did Harry and Kim have a good time while they were here? I tried to make sure they felt at home."

Sirius growled. "Kim said that she was pregnant and that it was all Fred and George's fault!" Fred and George paled, knowing that Sirius had jumped to conclusions.

Molly shook her head at the absurdity of Sirius words. "Both of them? I think that is highly unlikely. Perhaps you misunderstood. She's just a little girl after all."

Sirius turned to Fred and George. "Which one of you wants to die first?"

George stammered, "B-but…"

"We were only joking around!" Fred desperately finished. Molly gasped.

Sirius stared at them for a minute. They thought that he was thinking about how to slowly kill them, but Sirius was just trying to keep a straight face. "You think this is joke! You took advantage of her!" Sirius charged at him, and Fred and George only made things worse by protesting that this was all just a harmless prank that went completely wrong. Percy shook his head in shame as he cut up his meatloaf. He always knew those two were trouble.

By the time that Kim came through the fire, Sirius was chasing and waving his fist at an absolutely terrified Fred and George. She yelped in surprise when a teary eyed Mrs. Weasley hugged her. "We're going to take care of you. I promise." Kim bit her lip. This was the worst prank battle ever.

Kim looked at Mrs. Weasley guiltily. "Um, well…actually….I'm not really…You know…" She gestured to her abdomen. Mrs. Weasley gave her a watery smile and started laughing. Sirius stopped chasing Fred and George and smiled.

Fred and George looked at each other, both confused and nervous. "What's going on?" They said at the same time.

Sirius smirked at them and turned to Molly, who was the only one he felt guilty for scaring. "Fred and George decided to tell Kim that up the duff meant happy to be home. Growing up in America, she didn't know what it meant and happily told us that she was up the duff the moment she got home." Molly glared at her twin boys while they flinched. They were going to be in so much trouble!

* * *

Later that night, Harry decided to start teaching a very confused Kim about the basics of DADA. She kicked her feet in annoyance. "Why use a shield when I can just jump away?" Sirius tried to hide his laughter behind the newspaper.

"Because then you could jump into somebody else's line of fire! If you fighting more than one person at once, then a shield would let you focus on fighting them off." Kim looked at Harry as if he had three heads. "No offense, but what did you do in Defense your first and second year?"

Kim looked at the ceiling, trying to remember. "I slept, drew pictures of cows, and took long bathroom breaks drawing on the stall doors. You know the usual." She shrugged.

"Then how did you pass?" Any teacher at Hogwarts kept her back a year.

Again she shrugged. "It looks bad for the school when kids fail so I just got pushed through." Remus looked disgusted by whatever teacher that would do such a thing

Harry held up his hands. "Well, just try it: _Expelliarmus_."

Kim stood up and stared Sirius down. He just smirked at her and went back to reading about the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins. Kim pointed right at the newspaper, which was the only shield to Sirius's chest and yelled, "_EXPELLIARMUS_!" Harry wondered why Sirius was so surprised when he and the chair ended up smashed into the wall. His eyes bulged out of his head and his mouth made the classic "O" of shock. Remus looked up from the picture of Hogwarts he was drawing and wondered if the house would survive the rest of the summer. As Sirius and the chair slid to the ground, Remus happily noted that only the paint was cracked and set back to work.

Sirius stood up and wobbly walked over to a laughing Kim and Harry. "Why are you always after _me_?"

Harry stopped laughing for a moment and answered for Kim. "Because Ron's not here!"

* * *

The next morning, Harry walked out of the bathroom to find Sirius writing furiously on a long piece of parchment. At the sight of him, Sirius quickly hid it behind his back and looked everywhere but at him. Remus walked by Kim's door, knocked on it loudly and grinned at Sirius. "He's just excited because your birthday's in—"

"THIRTY-FIVE DAYS!" Sirius threw his hands in the air in excitement, causing his list of all the things he'd need for the party to flutter to the ground. He quickly jumped to the floor and scrambled to pick it up.

"So?" Harry had never really celebrated his birthday and felt a little embarrassed that Sirius was making such a big deal about it.

Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't think you're getting out of it that easy! However, I will disagree with Kim and assume that you don't want a tyrannosaurus rex for your birthday." Harry nodded slowly. "But what are we going to get that little devil besides stuffed animals?"

Kim rubbed her eyes sleepily as she stumbled out of the bathroom. She looked grim. "I'm going to kill you all."

Remus smiled as he shook the crumbs from the toaster over the garbage can and said, "Good morning to you too."

Grumpily, Kim started the conversation that would scar all the male inhabitants in the cottage for life. "I had a good thing going for almost a year, and you ruined it!" She pointed to all of them accusingly. "Now, I must briefly go to see Mrs. Weasley and tell her about your awfulness."

As she stomped off, Harry asked, "Why are we awful exactly?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know and decided that after she told him that he was better off not knowing.

She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. "When your body doesn't have enough fat it doesn't do girl things, and I liked that, and now you all ruined it with those damn potions!" She huffed angrily at them.

Sirius looked confused while Remus just closed his eyes briefly in disgust. "Yeah, um, go ahead…to Mrs. Weasley that is."

Sirius stared after her was she angrily told the fireplace that she wanted to go to the Burrow. "I don't understand." Harry had to admit that he didn't either.

Remus looked like he didn't even want to say it. "She was referencing to her…menstrual cycle."

Sirius gaped. "And right before breakfast too!" Harry sighed. He just hoped she didn't complain about it like Aunt Petunia did to her friends on the phone. That woman could go on for hours about bloating and cramps.

When Kim returned she found the house quiet and empty, noting everybody playing Quidditch outside. Throwing her toiletries in her room, Kim took her toast and eggs off the counter and couldn't help but wonder if they were hiding from her. Rolling her eyes, she set to work on Cole's potions, remembering his demanding letters about the fact that he had run out and still considered her his slave. She finished off as they came back in and again rolled her eyes at the fact that they all stopped at the sight of her. "It's not contagious, I promise." Kim handed the shrunken potions package to Cole's raven and ignored their questioning looks as it squawked and flew away.

Harry shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Er, that's good."

* * *

Those thirty five days flew by quickly, and Sirius was more excited for Harry and Kim's birthday than the two of them were combined. Although, Sirius did manage to make Kim have a meltdown when he said that technically, she was born on August first midnight and was the baby of the family by one day. Lily wanted had Harry and Kim to celebrate their birthday the same day, however, which is why the Pendragons and many others assumed it was July 31st. She ran around the house wailing that her entire life was a lie for almost an hour and guilted Sirius into allowing Draco to come over for the party. Hermione was able to come along with the Weasleys and Remus invited Hermione's parents, so Harry wondered if Draco would at least try to be polite today. He hadn't called Hermione a mudblood since met Kim, but Harry still didn't trust him.

Harry raised his eyebrows when Snape dropped Draco off through the floo, and Severus secretly had to admit that he was just as surprised himself. Draco told his father that he was going to help his godfather in his potions lab today, and Severus said nothing about his godson lying right in front of him. It was none of his business anyway. He'd just pick Draco up after a couple of hours and hope not to run into Black. At least he was able to have the Headmaster give Draco permission to come over for the day. Severus knew there would be an argument if he had to deal with the mutt and the wolf.

At the sight of Snape, Kim glared at him for a moment and then bounced up from the couch and said, "Did you come here for cake? Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let me help make it!" She said this as if the two of them never had a problem. Severus rolled his eyes, turned heel, and went into the fireplace.

Draco stared at Hedwig, who had taken to sitting on Kim's head since Sirius dared her to put dead mouse on it that Hedwig brought in the other day. "You-you keep that thing in the house?" Harry and Ron shared a confused look while Ginny and Kim shared evil grins as Kim took a step closer. Draco yelped as Kim, with Hedwig flying closely behind, chased him around the house. He quickly ran outside and leaned against the back door to keep her from opening it. He turned to see the questioning looks of Remus, Sirius, the rest of the Weasleys, and what he could only assume were Granger's parents. Blushing slightly, he mumbled, "They tried to kill me."

Sirius went back to unfolding the chairs. "Makes sense." Draco glowered.

He turned in shock as the window a few yards away from him opened, and Kim crawled out. Luckily, the bird wasn't with her. "I would never try to kill you, Draco. I didn't get my present yet." Granger's parents chuckled.

Draco thrust out his arm and handed her a paper bag and then handed her a box. "The box has ivory quills in it for Potter."

Kim's eye went wide. "So you're best friends now?" Draco opened his mouth to vehemently deny this and say he just didn't want to be rude when Kim yelled into window, "Harry! Draco loves you!"

Draco distantly heard Harry yell back, "No, he doesn't."

Once Neville arrived through the fireplace (Hagrid showed up twenty minutes later giving a shocked Sirius his motorbike back), everyone else came out, and Kim tried to persuade everyone to play duck-duck-goose instead of Quidditch, but of course everyone except for Hermione disagreed. Draco decided not to play Quidditch like to the two of them because he had a feeling that his own team would be against him if he took part in the game.

Hermione, Kim, and Draco decided that since there were not enough people to play duck-duck-goose that an epic water-gun fight would suffice once Kim and Hermione explained what water-guns were to Draco. Kim's strategy was to run around like a nutcase and try to shoot blasts of water at Draco to make it look like he wet his pants. Thankfully, her aim was terrible today. Since this was a battle of life and death, Hermione and Draco teamed up and hunted down Kim, who was hiding behind a tree near the cottage's shed. They cornered her into the shed and practically drowned her in water, laughing at her wails of defeat. Kim shook her hair and pointed accusingly at Draco. "I would expect this from you." Then she turned and pointed to Hermione. "But you! I thought what we had was special!"

Hermione shrugged and sprayed Kim one more time in response to her friend's insinuation. "All is fair in love and war." Kim sunk to her kneels, trying to say an epic death speech when Sirius yelled that the pizza was here.

As the water-gun warriors head to the table, Hermione couldn't resist pointing her water-gun up in the air and squirting Ron in the eye. As he fell a few feet off the ground, Kim decided that Hermione was really out of character today and that if Mad-Eye was here that he would try to see if she was a spy in disguise.

Draco had to admit it was a strange sight seeing Albus Dumbledore smiling with five boxes of pizza in his arms. When they all sat down to eat, Kim made Draco talk to the Grangers. Kim later on insisted that "made" was a strong word, since he found Muggle dentistry both fascinating and horrific at the same time, but he would never admit that. Hermione couldn't believe her ears as he politely spoke to her parents, and Ron gaped at him with food in his mouth. After a speech about root canals, Mr. Granger asked, "Wait a minute, aren't you the one who bullies Hermione because of her parentage?" Draco and Hermione blushed while Kim stared, slowly turning a menacing gaze to her boyfriend that caused him to shrink into his seat. That was news to her.

Before Draco could reply, Hermione quickly said, "Yeah, but we've made up." Ron's eyes bugged out of his head along with Draco's. Harry made a face but figured Hermione just didn't want to start a fight. She shrugged. "He just knows that if he ever makes fun of me again that I'd punch him in the face, probably breaking his nose." Harry laughed while Draco paled, both knowing that it was true. Kim had never been prouder of Hermione.

When it was time to open presents, Harry got DADA books, Quidditch stuff, and a book about the basics of drawing from Remus, and Kim got stuffed animals, stuffed animals, a book about Potions from Remus, and more stuffed animals. Harry gave Kim a stuffed lion, and she gave him a book to get him through the zombie apocalypse. Hagrid gave Harry and Kim an assortment of rock cakes that were so hard that Mr. and Mrs. Granger struggled to hide their disapproval. When Kim bravely bit one, Hermione couldn't stop laughing at her parents cringing. Kim wrapped the giant stuffed green snake from Draco around her neck and asked, "Is this a phallic symbol?" Mr. Granger chuckled while his wife and daughter turned pink. Remus shot her a reprimanding look while the rest of the group did not know what "phallic" met, except for Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling at Kim's inappropriate mischief.

"What?" Draco wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

Kim clapped her hands together and said in a very Hermione-like voice, "Is this snake a psychosexual representation of a penis?" Mr. Granger roared with laughter as his wife slapped him on the arm in disapproval. Draco turned beat red and started stuttering that it wasn't and that Kim was a pervert. Ginny started laughing hysterically at Draco's face while her mother tried to cover her daughter's ears.

Harry looked at the box of quills and then at Draco, fighting to keep from smiling. "Should I be worried?"

"Not today nor will I ever give anyone a gift of sexual nature." Draco glared at all of them. Kim pouted while Sirius said that that was the best thing he heard all day.

Harry was shocked when Sirius and Remus presented the tickets to the Quidditch World Cup and said that Hermione and the Weasleys were going too. He hadn't even known that there was one, causing Sirius to declare blasphemy and pretend to have a heart attack. He found himself stuttering embarrassed thanks, reminding him of when Hagrid gave him Hedwig.

Draco felt a sinking feeling when he saw those tickets. He had yet to tell father about Kim, so he would either have to tell him or ask Kim to pretend that she wasn't with him or that she was close to him in anyway. Draco bit his lip, knowing that his father would not approve. Still, he didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the day.

They were just about to sing happy birthday when a raven flew over to Kim and dropped a letter on her lap. Draco relaxed when realized it wasn't an owl. Harry wondered if it was from Lee, who was too busy with a dragon with the flu to come over, but Kim waved him off as she opened the letter. "This is Cole's raven, named Raven. Cole doesn't share." Draco narrowed his eyes. Who was this Cole guy? Kim pouted as she read everyone the beginning of the letter. "_Congrats! For your birthday I am enslaving you_ _for all eternity!_ Ug! Curse Dolores Umbridge!" Kim threw Remus another page that was attached to the letter. "Give this to the bitch and take a picture of the look of dismay on her face. I want to see her pain and suffering. I never wanted to sell my soul! He just assumes that it's for sale!"

Remus quickly read the document and smiled sadly, "Tell Cole thank you." Kim gave him a look of outrage. There was no way she was going to thank someone for forcing her into potion making bondage.

Ever the curious and concerned, Mrs. Granger asked, "Is everything alright?"

Remus sighed. "I'm assuming that Hermione told you of my condition?" They nodded. "Well, Dolores Umbridge passed laws a year ago that would fine me and have my house inspected in August because children are living in my house." Sirius stared. Remus never mentioned this. Harry frowned, wondering if he heard right. It sounded like Remus was going to be fined before the inspection even took place. "Cole is the current heir of the Pendragon family. Therefore, he has the power to wave the fines and declare the inspection unnecessary, which is what he did." Kim looked away, knowing that Remus was going to kill her next year when Cole would be ready to carry out his plan to get Agatha back. The Grangers looked outraged at the injustice, but everyone else around them was just used to it and saddened that Remus would have to be punished for other people's ignorance. Even Draco felt bad, but again, he would never admit it.

The evening was improved again while everyone sung "Happy Birthday!" although Kim was disappointed that Lee wasn't there to sing "Feliz Cumpleaños". Stupid sick dragon. After cake, Kim persuaded all the kids and even Professor Dumbledore to end the day with duck-duck-goose. Harry was more than surprised when Dumbledore tagged him. Never did he think the older man could run so fast, especially in those robes.

When it was time for everyone to go, Kim and Harry (much to his embarrassment) handed out girly pink candy bags to everyone, filled with strawberry flavored candy and thanked them once again. Harry shook his head. He knew he shouldn't have left making those bags up to her. When Professor Snape came to pick Draco up, Kim presented him with a bag and assured him that it wasn't poisoned, that if she was going to kill him she would at least like to see his death, and refused to stop staring at him until he took it. Severus glared at Draco, who smiled back nervously. His godson better appreciate this.

Once everyone left, Sirius asked, "So did you guys have fun?" Remus smiled as he waved his wand to make the mess outside clean itself. Harry wondered if he should tease Sirius about it. Did his godfather really think today wasn't fun?

High on a sugar rush, Kim and Hedwig started running, or flying in Hedwig's case, around the couch. Kim wouldn't stop chanting, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Smiling, Harry said, "It was the best birthday I ever had." Sirius grinned so wide his face hurt. Remus's eyes were twinkling like Dumbledore's, and Hedwig pulled her first ever prank. She flew towards the wall and tricked Kim into running into it. She fell flat on the ground. The owl hooted while the other three laughed.

* * *

Harry had to say that the fighting lessons with Mad-Eye were taking a turn for the better. With Lee gone, he fought some auror trainee named Kevin, who Kim swore she knew while he swore she didn't. Sirius started up his Patronus lessons again and again, Kim refused to participate. Harry laughed at Kim and Mad-Eye when Mad-Eye called her a wimp, and she called him a curmudgeon. It was when Mad-Eye brought a boggart and didn't mention it to them that they finally found out why Kim only had half her stomach. Harry had nightmares for the rest of the summer.

The boggart at first turned to Sirius, and Harry couldn't help but be surprised when it turned into the three dead bodies of himself, Kim, and Remus. Sirius started shaking, but since the three of them were standing right there, alive and well, he was able to fight off the boggart and turned the bodies into confetti. The boggart turned to Kim, mostly because she was retreating towards the cottage and made herself an easy target.

At first, Harry thought the boggart was just Kim herself with her old long hair. But then he noticed the blood. It was all over her hands and splattered over the rest of her, but it didn't seem to be her own. The boggart laughed at Kim's frozen form and held up a bloody knife. The boggart's eyes had dark circles under them and were widened with what looked like a mixture of desperation and amusement. Mad-Eye walked over to capture the boggart, but stopped in shock when it started laughing so hard that it was crying, before it brought its knife to her stomach. Blood started pouring out, and the boggart only laughed harder as it continued the motion, sinking to its knees with weakness. Harry distantly heard Remus throwing up in the background as Mad-Eye was finally able to contain the boggart in a small box that he put in his pocket. Sirius looked like he was going to do the same, or maybe pass out. Harry saw him swaying a little.

Kim backed away after steps and shook her head when Harry looked back at her, causing him to wonder what emotions displayed on his face. Confusion? Shock? Horror? Disbelief? "I-I didn't mean it! I jus-just thought it was all my fault…All his fault." She ran her hands through her hair and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I mentioned that Kim had a dark past, and the next chapter is going to reveal exactly what happened last summer. I think it's kind of been bugging some of you guys that it took so long for it to come out. :) I think the reason she isn't totally traumatized by what happened is because she just tried not to think about it and saw Hogwarts as a second chance, a chance for the childhood she never had. The next chapter will also be the last chapter of the summer at Remus's cottage. It is always my favorite part in these type of fan fictions…so I will have written about a hundred pages on it once the next chapter is out. Harry often compares things to Aunt Petunia because I think he spent the most time with her as a child since Dudley had his friends and Vernon had work. She must have spent time with him how do all those chores, so even if she was nasty to him, he must have spent more time with her than anyone else for about ten years of his life. Oh…And the thing about Kim's period, it's just a, I guess, sciencey thing that I wanted to point out. If your body does not have enough fat you can't menstruate nor have babies (well, if you're a girl). Also, you grow more hair (anywhere like on your arms and stuff) because your body is trying to keep you warm because fat is an insulator. I was going to have Lee tease Kim about that, but since Kim was good at potions, I figured she would have made a salve to remove it. So um, yeah, fact for the day for any who didn't know that stuff! Please read and review!**


	5. Imperio

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: This chapter's a little dark but things will get better! Like the picture of my puppy? It took me forever to get around to putting the profile picture up!**

Chapter Five

As Mad-Eye explained that he was going to report to Dumbledore, Remus said in a strained voice, "I think it's long overdue that the four of us had a talk." Sirius nodded, and Kim looked like she was about to bolt but was using all her courage to stay put. Harry felt as if his blood was ice water.

They walked in slowly, each wondering what they were going to say and what was going to be said. Kim sat at the edge of the worn crimson couch and curled up into a ball, her arms wrapped around her faded jeans. Harry sat on the other side of the couch while Sirius and Remus sat across from each other in the armchairs. Nobody said anything for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Sirius stared directly into Kim's eyes and said, "What the Hell did you do last summer?" He gaze would look like a glared to anyone else, but Kim knew he was trying to read her to see if she would try to lie or not.

Her lips became a thin line as she tried to put her words together. "I…" She looked away from him. "I knew what he…My uncle, did to Sylvester, and I had just gotten out of the hospital and I-I lost it…" Her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't say it. She had buried it for too long. It would be many years before she could. Maybe she never would be able to, but she could show them. Kim pulled out her wand and brought it to her temple, pulling out the wispy white memories. Harry gaped at her, but Sirius and Remus knew what she was doing. Without saying a word, Remus summoned a jar from the kitchen over to her and passed it silently over to her. Twirling her wand, Kim placed the memories inside at handed the clear glass jar back to Remus. She looked away as he took it.

Before Harry could ask, Remus answered his unspoken question. "She's giving us her memories. With a device called a Pensieve, we can see them." Remus stood up. "Professor Dumbledore has one. I'm afraid mine and Sirius's was confiscated when Umbridge passed those laws in '93." Sirius looked at him, aghast. "Don't worry. It wasn't destroyed. I just couldn't afford to get a license to get it back." Sirius gritted his teeth. What else hadn't Remus told him about the years 1981-1993? Sirius sighed. Now wasn't the time to argue.

As if walking to a funeral, the four silently and slowly approached the fireplace to floo to the headmaster's office. Feeling the twinkle extinguished from his eyes, Albus looked at the jar just as Alastor Moody was leaving. "Do you mind if I see too, Miss Potter?" She shook her head as she sat in the Headmaster's extravagant looking gold and scarlet sofa in a similar position she had before, biting her thumb nail.

Professor Dumbledore opened a wooden cabinet, hidden in the corner of his office, to reveal what reminded Harry of a large stone bowl filled with white wisps like the ones Remus held in the jar. The Pensieve had a countless number of what were most likely runes or some other ancient symbols inscribed into the sides. The headmaster smiled sadly at Harry. "When I pour these in, just put your head into the Pensieve like the rest of us."

Harry expected looking inside the Pensieve to feel like dunking his head into some cold misty fog, but he felt nothing and when he opened his eyes he found himself at standing at a school that was similar to what he would picture Dudley's school, Smelting's, to look like. It was a large building with faded red bricks and white pillars at the entrance. It seemed big enough to hold a lot of students but only in the class rooms. Older students were apparating to the entrance while younger ones side-long apparated with their parents or older siblings. A few students even showed up on broomsticks. After a moment, Harry noticed Kim and Sylvia walking towards the entrance, both with dull eyes, although Sylvia was talking a mile a minute. "I'm going to go over to Henry before first period. I want to find a half way decent pureblood guy before I turn seventeen. Imagine having to have Daddy choose!" She looked at Kim as if she should follow her example. Kim just glared at her until Sylvia ran over to a curly haired boy with a textbook in his hand and an eager smile on his face.

Kim plopped down on an old wooden bench under a giant willow tree and looked at her gold watch. Something told Harry that her classes didn't start for another twenty minutes. After a few minutes of Kim staring off at nothing, three girls approached her. They strongly reminded Harry of Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle, even though they looked nothing alike. Harry noted that Kim didn't have a Ron or Hermione with her to help her defend herself. The girl in the middle was of a darker complexion and had long black hair with matching black eyes. Those eyes were filled with nothing but cruelty, Harry had seen those eyes before, but couldn't put his finger on where. One of the other girls had wavy dirty blonde hair and green eyes while the other actually looked a lot like Lee, just shorter and more feminine. They were all very beautiful. The girl with the black eyes smiled, "Well, if it isn't the only halfblood here at Merlin." Her cronies giggled.

Kim sneered at her. "How do you know? I mean, you don't have any idea who your father is either. For all you know he could be a common Muggle."

Something flashed in the other girl's eyes while the other two girls made angry Crabbe and Goyle _I'm going to beat you up _faces. Their leader waved them off. "I heard the wolf put himself down. Quite a brave sacrifice for his family."

Kim stood up and shrieked, "Shut the fuck up, Stella!"

Stella smirked. "From what I heard, it was all your fault he was bitten. And Calvin told me that he killed himself in front of you. Maybe it was revenge."

Kim threw backed her fist as if she were going to punch Stella but froze when the girl Harry assumed must be Lee's sister screamed and pointed behind Kim. Slowly, she turned around and saw a large, thin branch from the willow tree hovering right above where her arm used to be. She looked at it confused but was still angry at Stella at the same time. Professor Dumbledore tensed as the branch flew right into Stella's right eye. Kim looked even more confused as teachers and students start crowding around her. The ground started shaking and in a few walls at the school even started to collapse. Kim anxiously looked at where Sylvia was standing, but her sister quickly apparated away. Kim looked down at Stella and saw the girl writhing on the ground, screaming in fear and agony.

Suddenly, the scene started to swirl into a blurry mess and out of nowhere, they were in somebody's office. Professor Dumbledore smiled sadly at him. "We're in a new memory."

There were three chairs in front of a mahogany desk and one behind it. The gold plaque on the desk said Headmaster Wrightwood. The man sitting behind it looked very serious and very tired, like he'd been listening to his guest argue for hours. He had a certain strictness about him that would have reminded Harry of Professor McGonagall, but there also seemed a reason to fear him. Like the thin older man wouldn't go by what was fair, he'd go by whatever he felt like that day. He just seemed so…distant. He folded his hands and looked at the occupants of the chairs who were Kim, Russell Pendragon, and who Harry could only assume was Stella's mother. She had the same small pointed nose as Stella and was a few shades darker than her. She had brown wavy hair and eyes such a light brown they were almost gold. Sirius's mouth opened in shock. "Elizabeth?"

Harry looked at him quizzically, but it was Remus who answered. "We went to school with her, but she disappeared a few years before the war was over. She was a friend of Lily's and S—but Lily never heard from her again about a year before you two were born. We thought she was murdered."

They turned their attention back to the scene when Elizabeth started to talk. "Now I know my daughter can be cruel. She gets that from her father. However, that doesn't mean she had to lose an eye! The healer said another centimeter, and it could have killed her!" She glared at Russell and then at the headmaster. "And you think that paying to rebuild the school is enough!" Russell laughed at her like she thought she was an idiot. "I want her committed." She pointed at Kim, who was sitting in her seat biting her nails again. Her legs were shaking as if she was ready to jump up and run out of the room.

Russell smiled. "Or what? Why should I throw her a way into the hospital for accidental magic?" He looked like he was waiting to have a good laugh at her answer.

"I know what your brother has done with those kids, Pendragon!" She snapped. "Teaching kids certain magic too early drives them insane. I will go to the presses if you don't get her treated. And I want her expelled." He didn't look too amused at her answer, but Wrightwood did. It looked like the headmaster enjoyed a good show. Professor Dumbledore looked livid.

Gritting his teeth, Russell Pendragon said, "Fine. But Calvin and Stella's betrothal still stands." Elizabeth looked at him for a minute a shook his hand.

Out of nowhere, Harry suddenly felt anxious, so anxious that he couldn't breathe and wanted to scream. Before he could ask why, in a strained voice Remus said, "We're feeling what she remembers feeling at that moment."

No one had time to comment before the memory shifted once more. Harry could only see the place as some kind of hospital. Everything was a bright white. The walls, the floors, even the outfits that the employees were wearing. The patients were wearing an off white that was closer to beige. The place was cold and reeked of bleach. Harry was surprised to see Lee in the background, sitting on a white plush sofa, playing with his shoulder length hair and looking out the window longingly. At the sight of Kim, he tensed up but didn't move. Two men in white who appeared to be hospital employees were trying to drag her into an open doorway, but she was kicking at them and screaming at the top of her lungs. Each attendant held onto one of her arms and after a moment a woman came over with a potion, and one of them pinned her to the ground, trying to force her to drink it. Of course, she refused and clamped her mouth shut, moving her head away whenever the woman tried to bring the potion to her lips. After a few minutes of struggling, the male attendant who wasn't holding her down brought two fingers to the sides of her nose, sealing her nostrils shut and preventing her from breathing. After a minute, Kim opened her mouth, gasping for air. The potion was poured down her throat. Harry tasted a bitter and burning taste in his mouth.

The next memory still appeared to be in the hospital. Kim was sitting on the ground in a white room, staring at the wall, drooling a bit. Sirius said hoarsely, "It's those potions." The edges of the room were a little blurry.

When Professor Dumbledore walked in the room, the Dumbledore with them smiled and said, "I was wondering if she could understand me that day."

The memory Professor Dumbledore sat down in a chair by the window. "I was told that you were expelled." Kim said nothing and wouldn't even look at him. He continued to talk as if he were speaking to one of his students. "Your mother and father, your real parents that is, always wanted you to go to school at Hogwarts. Because of a law I passed with the Ministry many years ago, you could not be persecuted at Hogwarts for accidental magic. You could attend school there if you like." Kim gave him no response. Dumbledore stood up. "By the way, if you chose to go, you have a biological twin brother. His name is Harry Potter. Perhaps you've heard of him?" Quietly, the Hogwarts headmaster stopped at the doorway, looked sadly at her for a moment, and walked away.

As the memory changed, Sirius looked over at the real Dumbledore angrily. "That's it? Why didn't you get her the Hell out of there?"

"I had no right. And she was due to be discharged in a few days anyway. I talked to Cecily Pendragon. She was going to take Kimberly to Hogwarts whether she wanted to go or not." Dumbledore looked at the ground.

The next memory appeared to be in a cellar of some sort. Harry felt as if he hadn't slept in days and had a terrible headache. With dark circles in her eyes and a sluggish look about her, Kim trudged over to a dark brown wooden cabinet and looked around at many potions that Harry knew he would never recognize. She was about to grab something when she stopped at the sight of a long thin bottle filled with a silvery liquid. Harry couldn't shake the feeling off that there wasn't enough in there. Kim picked up the bottle next to it, which was filled with a dark gold liquid, and held them together. The silvery bottle had a little bit less in it than dark gold one. This seemed to be very wrong. Letting the bottles fall from her hands and spill on to the ground, Kim stormed up the stairs. When she slammed the door behind her, everyone followed her from a lavish living room, passing a rose colored dining room and into a soft blue painted kitchen. With each step, Harry could feel Kim's rage building. He'd never felt such anger in his entire life. It felt like it took over his entire body, and it wasn't even his own.

In the kitchen was a man with dark blonde hair, who appeared to be in his late forties, making himself a late night sandwich. He looked up in surprise at Kim's look of utter hatred. "Is something wrong, Kitty?" His blue eyes held a bit of concern, but he went on putting mustard on his bread like she wasn't looking at her with those murderous eyes.

Clenching and unclenching her fists, Kim snarled, "You're a murderer!"

"Aren't we all?" The man smiled like she was a two year old having a tantrum.

"Why wasn't there an equal amount of vampire and werewolf venom in the basement? You need an equal amount to make the drug." Kim stared into his eyes, daring him to lie to her face, which he did.

"Uncle Tobias didn't give me enough vampire venom from the Starkmans. What do you expect from a Muggle?" He smiled at her and patted her head, trying to nicely say that the conversation was over.

Kim had a dark look in her eyes. "I've only been in the hospital for the mandatory two weeks." She waited to see if he was going to tell the truth. He remained silent. "You only get supplies for the drug once a month, a few days after the full moon to keep things equal. You weren't supplied last month because we didn't go hunting because of Sylvester's death. That means you have the supplies from two months ago, since the full moon isn't for another week." Again she paused. "Momma complained two months that Uncle Tobias brought too much vampire venom. You said you'd take care of it."

The man put down the butter knife. "What exactly are you trying to say?" Something flashed in his eyes. Something that only made Kim a thousand times more enraged.

"You poisoned Sylvester! Because of his lycanthropy the vampire venom would have been lethal to him." Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her sleeve. "They say that vampire venom is tasteless." The man took a step closer to her. "Uncle Alexander!" She sobbed, "Please say it isn't true!"

Uncle Alexander grabbed her arm and pulled her close. There was a sudden coldness in his eyes. "You expect me to allow such an embarrassment to take place in the Pendragon family. I pleaded with my brother to have him put up for adoption, but he refused. It had to be done." Screaming with rage, Kim grabbed a knife from the nearby wooden knife block. Everything went black.

Harry blinked. "Why—"

"She doesn't remember." The guilt was apparent on Remus's face.

The kitchen reappeared in a few seconds, but it was nothing like it was before. It was covered in blood. A glassy eyed Kim slowly looked over to her uncle, who was lying on the floor. From the looks on things, Kim had stabbed him multiple times in the abdomen and killed him with a knife wound to the neck. As she stood up from where she was kneeling on the floor, Kim at first looked like she was about to cry but then started laughing like the boggart had not long ago. As they saw what the saw earlier, Remus looked like he was about to pull out of the Pensieve, but Sirius grabbed his hand, and he stayed. Once she sunk back to her knees, the room started to blur a bit, but instead of feeling her pain, Harry felt numb.

"What was all that noise? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The room came back into focus as Calvin raced into the room, looking around in horror. Kim was lying on the ground laughing in a pool mixed with her and her uncle's blood. He took a few deep breathes and said, "MOLLY!" A house elf with black hair and light, icy blue eyes appeared, looking shocked and then making her place blank. Sirius yanked at his hair with impatience and anxiety. Calvin stood up next to Kim and silently drew a circle around them with his wand. A thin white light encircled them for a moment and then faded away. He scooped up Kim who started to push him away and turned to Molly. "Clean up this mess before anyone else sees. Bury him where no one will ever find him." The house elf nodded as Calvin apparated with a now screaming Kim trying to push her way out of his grasp.

After the end of that memory, Harry felt Kim's exhaustion and weakness. She lay in a bed covered with blankets, looking a good two stone less than she did now. Her eyes were sunken in. She looked like death. Cecily Pendragon was sitting in a wooden chair next to her bed. "My love Henry says that you aren't responding well to your potions, which he thinks is a result of depression." She went in her pocket and took out an old newspaper clipping. Harry gasped in surprise at it. It was the headline of him and Lockhart last two summers ago at Flourish and Blotts. "This is your brother, and you are going to be joining him at Hogwarts on September first. I already got into a cat fight with Mary over this so I won't take no for an answer." She smiled. "You killed my dreadful husband. The least I could do was try to give you a better life." Cecily pushed some of her light brown hair behind her ear. "I already sent your bags to a hotel called the Leaky Cauldron. After your birthday stay there and rest." She brought an index finger to her plump, pink limps. "Shhhh. It'll be our little secret."

Kim gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and tensed up in frustration. When she looked up at her aunt, she finally spoke for the first time in over a week. "Okay."

Aunt Cecily's ocean blue eyes were twinkling. "Everything is going to be more than okay. I promise." With a wink, she got up and left the room, and all the memories faded away.

When Harry was back in Professor Dumbledore's office, he felt like he was stepping out of a dream. Kim was gazing at Fawkes and seemed to be ignoring their presence. Finally, Dumbledore spoke up. "That was quite an interesting story, my dear. I believe that you know not to tell anyone else this. Otherwise, you might find yourself incarcerated." Sirius flinched. He'd die before a member of his family was sent to Azkaban. Kim shrugged and reached over to pet the bird, smiling when it flew over to her arm.

After Fawkes sang a sad tune, Kim said, "I wasn't planning to. Since when I am one to willingly take responsibility for my actions?"

Remus laughed without humor. "Your actions? If I hadn't—"

"It's not like you had any idea that something like that would happen!" Harry blushed at having cut Remus off, but kept going. "There was nothing you could have done that you didn't already try." He looked at his feet, hoping to not get yelled at.

Kim shrugged. "I messed up last year. Went bonkers, as Calvin put it. But I won't do it again. I promise." Sirius couldn't help but make an incredulous face. After showing them all that, that's all she had to say? But what else could she really say or do about it? She couldn't change the past. She just had to try to do better in the future, which was what she was promising.

"I've noticed that when you're angry…or even just playing around and get frustrated…you almost always resort to violence." Remus frowned, trying to put his thoughts into words. "I think you might need to learn to express yourself in a different way."

Kim pouted. "Well that's no fun." She smiled at Remus's disapproving look. "Sometimes I just get really mad…To be honest, I see no problem with tackling Ron to the ground when he "wins" at chess, but I understand what you mean about when I flip out. I just grew up seeing that as the way to get people to listen to me, to know that they couldn't walk all over me without me putting up a fight." She let Fawkes fly back on his perch, sitting back down on the couch and putting her face in her hand. "I'll try to just talk about it, but I can't promise that I won't do anything."

* * *

After seeing Kim's memories, Sirius felt uncomfortable leaving her alone for more than a couple minutes at a time, which she felt was a test to see if she would going to "express herself with violence" as Remus would say. Instead of strangling the hovering godfather like she wanted to, Kim felt that she passed the test when she said, "I'm going to go shave my legs in the bathtub, Sirius. If you want to watch…I'm calling Ministry officials." Remus and Harry couldn't stop laughing at the repulsed look on Sirius's face when Ron came through the fire.

Grinning, he announced, "Mum wants you guys to all come spend the night before the Quidditch Cup next week. Charlie's bringing his girlfriend." Kim made a noise of protest from the bathroom at the world "girlfriend", but Ron just chalked it up to girls being weird.

Remus smiled. "Kim and Harry will be there, but it's the full moon."

Harry and Ron's eyes bugged out of their heads. "But you're still going to the game right?" Harry asked while Ron looked like he'd never heard anything as horrible.

Sirius opened his mouth to say no, but Remus said, "It's later in the day, so I'm going to try." Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius's fearful look. "I'm not made of glass, Padfoot. I think I can handle sitting in a chair for a few hours."

Sirius clenched his jaw. "Alright, but if you get too tired, we're heading back to the tent. Especially, if the game lasts more than four hours." Kim cheered in the background while Ron sighed with relief. If anyone had to miss the Quidditch World Cup when they had a ticket…well, it was downright blasphemous.

* * *

When the twenty first came around, Kim made sure to pack clothes and a toothbrush this time instead of just stuffed animals. Harry wondered why she was so excited to sleep over this time and was even more confused when she said she wanted to meet Charlie's girlfriend. As far as Harry knew, Kim didn't even know Charlie. However, she would tell him no more, only saying that Ron was a fool.

Following Kim through the floo, Harry walked out of the fireplace just in time to see Kim pointing at a blushing Lee and yelling, "HA!"

Lee and who must have been Charlie were sitting on one of the couches in the Weasley's living room, Charlie looking bravely at him family while Lee seemed permanently pink and very fascinated with the details of his shoelaces. None of the Weasleys seemed bothered by this, except Ron, who was gaping at the like at fish. "But you sent a letter saying _girlfriend_!" Lee shot Charlie an offended look.

"I said that I was bringing someone over. You just _assumed_ girlfriend." Charlie smirked at Ron who blushed crimson.

Fred and George turned to another Weasley with long red hair in a ponytail and an earring and said, "Pay up Bill." Bill grumbled and handed the twins five galleons.

Charlie made a similar face to Ron's a few moments ago. "You guys made a bet about my sexuality?"

Fred nodded, and George said, "Ever since we knew what gay meant."

Folding his arms, Percy said, "I've had a feeling as well."

"Me too!" Ginny piped in.

Mrs. Weasley ran over and hugged a shocked Charlie. "But that doesn't mean we love you any less. Your father and I have talked about this and were going to try to talk to you but were worried you'd get upset with us." Charlie frowned. This was going far different than he expected.

Ron held up his hands. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that I am the only one in the family besides Bill who didn't know this?" Kim laughed at Ron's typical obliviousness. After everyone affirmed this, Ron grumbled, "Fine. I don't care either way, but I would like to not be kept in the dark so much."

At dinner, Mr. Weasley stated that they would be staying at a Muggle camp ground for the World Cup and badgered Hermione and Harry with questions. Neither had ever been camping before, so Hermione just went by what she'd seen on TV. Once she admitted this, however, both Lee and Mr. Weasley wouldn't stop asking about the wonders of television, wanting to know what happened to the people inside once the screen went black. For the first time ever, Hermione said, "Well, er, I don't know." Ron and Kim couldn't believe their ears. Ginny rolled her eyes. It was electricity. The little people obviously had their own little electric homes inside the TV.

As Ron challenged Bill to a game of chess, Harry saw Kim, Ginny, and Hermione all giggling together. He wondered if they were up to something or if they were just being girls, talking about horrible stuff like makeup and cute boys. His only clue was when Hermione talked to Lee just before Mrs. Weasley announced that they better go to bed early for the big day tomorrow.

* * *

Harry barely got any sleep that night with Ron telling him all about the Quidditch teams that came close to making it to the World Cup. He went on and on until well after midnight and just as Harry was considering smothering him, Ron started snoring in midsentence.

The next morning, or what looked a bit like night, Mr. Weasley shook Harry awake, and he shot up in fear, not used to being shaken awake after getting so little sleep. He turned to glare at Ron, but his best friend was getting what he deserved and could barely open his eyes.

Down at breakfast, Kim looked beyond grumpy. She refused to touch her porridge. Ginny shrugged at Harry's curious look. Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. "You better eat up, Deary. You'll be hungry later if you don't." Kim took a bite, and Harry could practically feel her thinking, _if it'll make you shut up and leave me alone_.

Kim was silent until they met up with the Diggorys, not even laughing when Fred and George got their latest experiments taken away. Cedric Diggory smiled at her face. "I had trouble getting up this morning too." Ginny and Hermione giggled at the fact that he was talking to Kim.

"I had to eat porridge." Kim glared at Cedric like it was his fault. Ginny burst out laughing at Cedric's confused look.

Mr. Diggory changed the subject by talking about how Harry lost to Cedric at the Quidditch game last year. Cedric looked horrified. "Dad! He fell off his broom! _Please_ don't embarrass me today!" Mr. Diggory smiled smugly while Harry smiled nervously back, not really sure what to say.

Ron, of course, was quick to stand up to Mr. Diggory. "Harry couldn't help it! Those _things_ were after him."

Before Mr. Diggory could reply, Harry quickly said, "It doesn't matter. I can't win them all, can I?" Mr. Diggory clapped him on the back of the shoulder at his good sportsmanship, but in reality Harry just hated seeing people argue. After spending over a decade of having Uncle Vernon's purple face yelling at him, Harry wanted to avoid arguments whenever possible. There was nothing wrong with Mr. Diggory thinking his son was a better player. Harry could care less if he thought so.

After using the Portkey, Harry couldn't get over the outfits that wizards thought were acceptable for Muggles. Even Kim smiled at the guy that Mr. Weasley greeted in the tweed suit and thigh-length galoshes. She giggled for the first time that day when Lee and Charlie apparated to the campsite. Now Harry knew what Hermione told Lee. The two of them showed up in tuxedos and dark sunglasses, walking over to the tents as if they weren't overdressed. Lee frowned at the girls faces. "This isn't proper camping attire is it?"

He didn't get his answer though because Kim made it her mission to help Mr. Weasley with the tents and soon enough, was in her sour mood once more. She set up a third tent that she said she stole from Calvin a few years ago and after seeing what was in the other tents, Harry still couldn't help but be surprised at what was in this one. It looked like the inside of some kind of gothic mansion that was only featured in horror stories. It was mostly black and white with a bit of red in the painting here and there. Kim said it could be for anyone who couldn't fit in the other tents. At the center of the entrance hall was a portrait of one of the showiest women Harry had ever seen. She actually looked a bit like Sylvia but had more curves and her hair was a few shades darker. And then there was the fact that her clothes looked like something a prostitute would wear. Ron's ears turned crimson. She smiled demurely at them. "Hello, my name is Olivia. To what do I owe the pleasure? Calvin used brings girls here. I do enjoy a good show."

Kim scowled at her. "You'll only see something if Lee and Charlie feel up to it, but I doubt it." Olivia giggled while Lee stomped on her foot.

Harry frowned. "Er…Not to be rude…but who are you exactly." He knew that her name was Olivia, but she must be pretty important if Kim kept her in the tent.

Olivia crouched down, making sure to show them all her cleavage spewing out of her tight purple and black corset. "I, my dear, am a seductress." Harry wondered if he should be fearful of a portrait.

Lee smirked. "Oh yeah. Rumor has it you ran off with Greyback. So are you dead now, or something?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Not exactly. So what is going on here? I haven't gotten any visitors in two years."

"We're using your tent in case there's no more room in the tents, you filthy whore." Harry stared at Kim. She was defiantly more than just grumpy today.

Olivia laughed. "Sex is power, my dear. Greyback freed me from the cursed life I would have faced. He taught me how to stick up for myself…But, rumor has it, you've already got yourself a back bone." Kim paled. "That's right. I still hear stories deep within the forest. Your story was the best I heard in a long time." Olivia stood up, showing off her tight dress once again. "So, who has the pleasure of spending the night with me?"

Mr. Weasley blushed. "Sirius and Remus were going to stay in here…And I think Percy and Bill were too…"

Olivia clapped her hands together. "Excellent. I haven't entertained this many men since I was a young girl of sixteen." As Harry looked at just her face, he noticed that she must be in her mid-forties. Her face wasn't young, but it wasn't old either.

Needless to say, everyone except Percy and Bill, who were dropping off their change of clothes, left in a rushed hurry. Kim filled in for everyone except Lee. "She used to seduce werewolf alphas into telling her where their pack was residing. She's my dad's sister. Greyback convinced her to kill her own father and runaway with him thirty years ago."

Harry smirked. "Remus is going to scold you for having such a portrait."

Kim shrugged. "We needed an extra tent. I had one." Kim had stolen it from Calvin after one of her many attempts to run away from home and had never given it back.

At lunch, Kim went back into silent mode and chose Ludo Bagman to be the one to glare at once the poor man showed up. When he asked what was the matter, she threw a sausage at him. He smiled, caught it, and ate it. After a bit of gambling talk, Barty Crouch showed up to harass Ludo about getting back to work. Harry did a double take when he realized that Sylvia was with him. She had no silver on and dyed her hair a chestnut brown. She wore a pretty red and orange floral dress instead of her usual tight leather outfits. Harry was just about to try to stop Kim from attacking her when both girls squealed at the sight of each other and hugged. Ron rolled his eyes. "Girls."

Sylvia posed. "Well, how do I look?"

"You? What about me?" Kim took off her strawberry hat to reveal her hair. Lee mumbled at a month and a half ago that haircut was the worst thing in the world to her.

Sylvia giggled and looked to Percy, who was getting Mr. Crouch some tea. "Hi, Percy." She said shyly. Percy blushed, but luckily, didn't spill any tea on Mr. Crouch. Fred and George grinned evilly.

* * *

Narcissa couldn't help but be disgusted with her son today. He had asked to use Dragon to send a letter last night, and Lucius hadn't said anything about Draco having a girlfriend that wasn't Pansy. When that poor girl came to sit with them for the game, she looked angry and close to tears but didn't make a scene. Her family looked at her questioningly but said nothing. Lucius was in his own little world, happy to bring his son to the World Cup. Narcissa wondered if she should say anything to her son. It was clear that Draco was already going to get an earful from Kimberly. Narcissa hoped that they would get back together eventually.

Kim made a face when the house elf Winky sat down, saving a seat for her master. For a moment she thought she saw a blurry figure but decided it was nothing. She was so upset last night that she hardly got any sleep. She was probably just seeing things. Kim almost smiled when Ron and Harry went gaga over the Veela, but didn't really have it in her to make fun of him, not when she was right next to Draco and couldn't even say hi to him. Well, she could, but he didn't want her to, which made her feel like crap, like she wasn't good enough for his family to know about her. Kim brooded the entire match, trying her best to jump up and cheer when every else did, but her heart just wasn't in it.

Once the match was over, everyone headed back to the tents, Kim trying her best to march behind everyone without looking back at Draco. Inside the boy's tent, everyone was drinking hot chocolate and buzzing about the match. Mr. Weasley said they could only stay up for ten minutes, but before they knew it, it was almost two in the morning. Lee went into the tent Kim brought and came back with a bottle of wine. Kim laughed at the odd look on his face when the adults confiscated it. Lee's parents were always cruel to him but always felt bad about it later and let him do whatever he wanted. He wasn't used to being told no.

Kim deflated once again when a very tired Remus asked, "So why have you've been upset all day?"

Ron gulped down some hot chocolate. "Yeah, and Malfoy looked like he was going to piss himself at the sight of you."

"Fuck off." Kim snapped and the whole room went silent. Just before Remus could admonish her for her outburst, the screaming started and the music outside stopped.

After a moment, a very flushed looking Percy with an equally flushed Sylvia behind him poked their heads in the tent, and he said, "Outside! Their attacking Muggles! Death Eaters!"

Everyone ran outside the tent, witnessing people in masks torturing Muggles. The Death Eaters floated the Muggles in the air, starting fires and yelling obscenities. Sirius looked over at the kids and said in a strained voice, "Head towards the woods! We'll find you once this is over! I mean it, Harry!" Harry looked at his godfather for a moment but chose to follow the rest of his friends, running as fast as they could to the nearby forest. Lee stayed behind with Charlie. Everyone thought he was of age but he was actually about Fred and George's age. Kim chose not to say anything.

Kim froze when they nearly ran into Draco in the forest. He had to nerve to smile nervously at her. "Hey, um…about the match…I can explain."

"Oh I understand. It is quite obvious that you think so little of me that you can't even admit to your parents that you love me. Do you?" Kim retorted coldly. "Because if you really did, I don't think we'd be having this conversation. I wouldn't expect you to choose your parents over me, but I would at least like to think that I shouldn't have to act like I don't know you just because you don't have the balls to tell them that you're dating a halfblood traitor. I guess I'm just so beneath you that you have to be ashamed of me." Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys watched the scene with wide eyes. They hated Draco, but they always thought that he worshiped Kim, not that he was ashamed of her.

"N-no! It's not that! I just…" Kim narrowed her eyes, and Draco gulped. "I just didn't want to disappoint my father!"

Kim looked like she was about to cry for a moment but instead became very angry and screamed, "So now I'm a disappointment! Well, you won't have to disappoint you're father anymore! Stay away from me!" A few tears escaped her eyes. "Don't come near me ever again." She ran off before Draco could see her cry.

The rest of the group stood there awkwardly next to Draco for a moment, before hurrying off to find her. He watched where she ran off and whispered, "Don't go."

* * *

Kim was about to change her mind and run back to Draco when she collided with a man at the edge of the camp ground. She looked up to see a crazed man staring at her hungrily. Quickly, she pulled out her wand, ready to curse her, but he was faster. He slammed her into a tree and took her wand. Holding her against the tree with one arm, ignoring her kicks that weren't reaching him, he pointed her wand at the sky and yelled, "MORSMORDRE!" Then he dug his other arm into her neck. She choked and kicked harder, cursing the fact that she was too short to hurt him. He leaned against her and whispered in her ear, "You're going to do what I say whenever I say it from now on. No matter where you are, no matter what disguise I am in, you will do what I say, understand? You will never tell anyone about when you see me." Kim was about to tell him to shove it when she heard people rushing toward them. He let her go and just as she was about to attack him, he whispered, "Imperio."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Sirius and Remus didn't get angry with Kim for last summer because they both feel guilty about it themselves. One of Harry's flaws in my story I think is that he's afraid of getting yelled at by those he cares about, so he didn't really push things with her either. Kim is haunted by what she did, but like I said before, she just buries in, plus I think she justifies the murder so she doesn't feel as guilty as she should, especially as time passes. I think Kim and Draco are both too immature to work things out, but they both still love each other. We'll see how things go for them! As for Lucius, I know that he's all pureblood mania and stuff, but nothing comes before his son, so I don't really think Draco had much to fear. Lucius wouldn't have been happy, but he would have gotten over it. I think of Narcissa as brave because of what she did in DH, so I put a bit of Gryffindor in her, but she's still Slytherin. She accidently causes a bit of trouble at the end of Ootp because of…well, you'll see! :) Can anyone guess what Olivia's portrait is? She's not dead, but her soul is in the portrait. (Hint, hint.) I think it will help out in DH (well, my version anyway) with her portrait. But don't get me wrong, Olivia is not to be trusted! Oh yeah, another thing I hinted at, Stella's father? Please R&R!**


	6. And So Begins Another Year at Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: The end of this chapter was very much inspired by ****xXMizz Alec VolturiXx****, who suggested the pairing in the past, and I shot it down. However, after doing so, it got me thinking. They're going to have a hot and steamy romance, as my mom would say. :)**

Chapter 6

The man quickly repeated his command to Kim before throwing her wand to the ground and hurrying away, just as Harry, Hermione, and the youngest Weasleys arrived. Hermione gasped at the Dark Mark, but Kim didn't bother turning around. She just kept gasping for air as if the man's arm were still cutting off her air supply. Harry was just about to ask her what was going on when he heard multiple popping noises. He saw about twenty wands raise and yelled, "DUCK!" Flashes of red light flew past them into the neighboring trees. Harry had to push Kim to the ground, who was still dumbstruck by whatever happened a few minutes ago.

"Stop! Those are my kids!" Harry looked up to see Mr. Weasley shouting with an out of breath Sirius and Remus trailing behind him. They paled at the sight of the skull with the snake and looked at them all to make sure everyone was okay. Unlike Hermione, Harry had no idea with the Dark Mark meant.

As the three reached them to assess the damages, Mr. Crouch pushed his way through. "Which one of you did it?"

Ginny glared at him, thinking that it was typical that Percy would worship someone like this. "_We_ didn't do anything. _You_ attacked _us_."

"Don't lie to me girl!" Crouch desperately shouted.

"Don't talk to my daughter like that." Mr. Weasley calmly commanded. Harry wondered how he could say it like that and still sound angry.

Sylvia laughed softly. "You think a bunch of kids can do that?" She smiled at her boss's furious look. "Sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all.

Before Sylvia could get fired, Remus asked, "Did any of you see who cast the Dark Mark?"

They all turned and looked at Kim. With tears in her eyes she quietly said, "N-no, no…I mean, I can't…I-I don't remember…" She slouched defeated. Harry frowned. Kim looked like she was trying to tell them something, but some unknown force was stopping her.

Crouch raised his eyebrows. "Can't remember? That's convenient." Sirius growled at him.

Mr. Diggory gave Crouch a conflicted look, trying his best to be polite to his superior but still wanting to point out the obvious. "Well, look at the red mark across her neck, Mr. Crouch. It is quite clear that the culprit strangled her. If she did see him, I'm sure the lack of oxygen clouded her memory quite a bit." Everyone paled. Again, Harry saw that look on Kim's face. She wanted to say something but couldn't. Why wasn't she talking? Or was she struggling to remember like Mr. Diggory said?

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "Well, now that we've got that sorted out, I'd check the forest for the culprit, but these shoes are new." She smiled at her reddish brown dragon hide boots. "I mean you sent all those stunners out there." She giggled as Sirius stormed off. This was turning out to be quite the night.

After about ten minutes, Sirius returned, rather confused and holding Crouch's house elf, Winky. Crouch's eyes bulged out of his head at the sight of the limp creature. "I told you to stay in the tent! What the Hell are you doing out here?" He seemed too shocked to understand that the house elf was stunned. He shook her. "Winky!"

Mr. Weasley grabbed his arm. "Wait a moment. _Ennervate_!"

Winky blinked for a moment, brown eyes glassy and having trouble focusing. She had a bruise forming under her left eye. Mr. Diggory said sternly, "ELF!" Her head snapped over to him as if he poured a bucket of cold water on her. "I am a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!" Remus glared at him. Mr. Diggory pointed at the Dark Mark. "Just what do you have to say about that?"

Winky didn't seem to having anything to say and reacted by having a panic attack. She fell out of Sirius's arms and wouldn't stop wailing and shaking her head. Crouch was fuming. Before he could berate his house elf again, Hermione cut in and said kindly, "We just want to know if you saw anything? Perhaps who cast the incantation?"

Winky wailed, "I isn't know!"

"Clearly the elf is lying!" Mr. Diggory hollered.

Mr. Crouch glared at him. "Are you insinuating, _Diggory_, that my house elf is suspicious? Because if so, you are insinuating the same about me. My house elf is not protecting anyone involved with the Dark Arts, nor am I." Mr. Diggory paled. "My house elf may be a disobedient little fool…" Winky flinched. "But she has nothing to do with this."

"Of-of course not, sir!" Sylvia frowned. Politics was tricky stuff. Diggory was practically begging for forgiveness after Crouch told Diggory what he himself had said. Maybe Winky was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but something was definitely up.

Crouch turned to Winky. "However, I cannot put up with an incompetent house elf. _Clothes_, Winky."

As if sentenced to death, Winky wailed so loudly that Remus covered his ears. "Please Master! Winky is a good house elf! Winky was tryin' to help! Not clothes! Please not clothes! I'll do anything! ANYTHING! Have mercy! Not clothes! Not clothes!" Hermione looked like she was about to cry.

Sylvia pounced. "I'll take her!" Everyone looked at her in shock, but Sylvia didn't care. She just wanted a Nana again. No one would ever replace her Nana, but Sylvia wanted to be taken care of by a house elf again, to feel loved and adored again. Crouch shot her a glare. Sylvia bit her lip. She was so fired, unless… "Of course, if that's okay with you, sir. I mean…I could make sure she doesn't embarrass you anymore. You know what all those activists are like." Sylvia hated being a kiss ass like that, but as long as it got her the elf, she couldn't care less. She eyed her boss hopefully.

After a minute of deliberation, Crouch nodded and even cracked a small smile. "That would be nice. Thank you, Sylvia." Percy grinned proudly at her as well. Sylvia wanted to jump up and down with joy. Winky still seemed devastated but was only sniffling now. Sylvia grinned broadly. Winky will get over it. "I'll draw up the papers in my office." They both apparated away with Winky.

Mr. Weasley sighed. "I think it's time we headed back to the tents." Harry held his hand out to help Kim up, who was still on the ground. She still had a look of crazed desperation and fear in her eyes. Harry knew one thing for sure. Kim remembered something and for some reason, wasn't telling.

Remus walked over to them. "Is everyone alright?" He said hoarsely. Everyone nodded except Kim, who stared at him for a moment and then ran over to him. She hugged him and started wailing almost as hard as Winky did. Remus froze in shock. He had never pushed anything with her because of how she reacted that time Sirius tried to hug her, and she never touched any adult in any form of affection before. After a split second, he hugged her back. "Everything's going to be okay." That only made her cry harder.

* * *

One the way back to the tent an hour later, Hermione made Kim smile and stop crying when she started ranting about the injustice that Winky faced. "Can you believe how they treated her? I mean, Sylvia was the only one who was even remotely nice to her, and she was practically trying to get a hold of Winky like she was some piece of meat! Honestly, you'd think they didn't really understand that she had feelings!"

Kim sniffled and said, "Sylvia just wants someone to hug her and tell her she's pretty. Brush her hair once and a while, say that she is perfect the way she is. That's she's the smartest and can do anything but giving her the best advice when she needs it most. You know, the works." Percy wondered if he should be remembering this for later.

Hermione huffed. "Sounds like a mother!" Then she blushed. "Oh, yeah…sorry." Kim shrugged. "But that doesn't mean she should force a house elf to do it! They need to be treated with respect! How can Sylvia expect Winky to love her like a mother when Winky has no free will?"

Kim gave Hermione a funny look. "Most house elves don't want that. The ones that do usually get freed for disobedience anyway." Hermione looked disgusted while Harry smiled, remembering how Dobby earned his freedom.

Everyone was surprised to see how happy Mrs. Weasley was to see Fred and George when they got back to the Burrow. Their faces were turning a bit purple from lack of oxygen was she squeezed them in an unbreakable hug. Not letting her squirming boys go, Mrs. Weasley cried, "What if something happened to you and the last memory I had of you was yelling at you for those damn products?" Kim gaped. Mrs. Weasley cursed even less than Remus.

Mr. Weasley took a step closer to his wife and said, "Erm, Molly, I don't think the boys can breathe!"

Mrs. Weasley let go as Fred and George fell to the ground, pretending to be gasping for air. Kim shivered. She was doing that for real a few hours ago. Mrs. Weasley ran to her husband. "I don't appreciate you enough either, Arthur!" Then she kissed rather passionately, disgusting all here children.

Kim smirked at Ron. "Looks like you're going to be a big brother again." Ron turned a pale shade of green. Parents didn't do what it took to have babies. It was…unnatural, just plain sickening.

Lee joined in. "Yeah. I've never seen adults this age with this many kids use so much tongue." Ron ran away to his room to rid his ears of such talk as Mrs. Weasley finally broke away from her husband, red faced and giggling nervously as if she were at Hogwarts again. Charlie glared at Lee and punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! I guess that's what I get for stating the obvious," He grumbled.

More than willing to change the subject, Harry asked, "So…um, what exactly is the big deal with the Dark Mark? I don't understand."

Sirius closed his eyes for a minute, trying to form the words. Mrs. Weasley covered her mouth in sadness, remembering all the times during the war that a friend or just some who lived near her, came to her sobbing because they saw the Dark Mark over their house and couldn't face going in alone. Sirius sighed. "It's Voldemort's mark." The Weasley's flinched. "He or his Death Eaters would cast it over a person's home if they killed all the occupants inside. Imagine coming home from work one day and finding that mark over your house?" Sirius looked at Remus sadly, who looked at the ground. That's how his parents died, a few weeks before Harry and Kim were born. That's how too many people died. "People fear that mark because of what it symbolizes. Death, torture, danger. It wasn't uncommon for people to have panic attacks during the first war, just from seeing it in the newspaper."

Harry frowned, confused. "Does that mean that someone died tonight?"

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "No one died, and no one was reported missing. For all we know, it could have been a drunken former Death Eater that got carried away. If it was one of the escapees, they definitely would have killed someone. However, someone like Lucius Malfoy, they'd just want to show off that they fooled the Ministry and were still doing as they pleased." Kim wanted to yell that it wasn't Malfoy. But that would make them ask who it really was. Her throat swelled up at the thought of going against the curse, and she broke into a coughing fit. Mrs. Weasley rushed off to get her a glass of water.

* * *

Draco couldn't really describe how he felt as he and his family took a Portkey home. Miserable, sad, and even a little angry. If she just let him talk to her, maybe she would understand. Or maybe he could understand her. He honestly didn't see what the big deal was. It was no secret that Potter hated him, and Draco could deal with that. So why did she make a big deal about it when Draco tried to express that her father wouldn't approve of her? It was the way he worded it. Draco knew that much, but he panicked, and everything just came out wrong. Well, he did tell the truth, but if he could go back, he would have told the truth differently. His mum broke his thoughts as a brooded over his lunch. "Did you hear what happened to that Potter girl last night?" Mum looked at Draco when she said this, even though she seemed to be talking to Father too.

Lucius continued to cut up his chicken salad while Draco froze and dropped his fork. "Oh? What'd you hear, Darling? I was a bit busy last night." He smiled as he brought his food to his mouth.

Narcissa was still looking at her son, wanting to see his reaction. "It seems whoever cast the Dark Mark used her wand to cast it and strangled her. She can't remember a thing. Poor girl. I heard that she wouldn't stop crying for hours."

Narcissa hid her smile as Draco whipped his head over to her surprised husband and yelled, "You didn't have anything to do with it, did you?" Lucius raised his eyebrows at his son's demanding tone.

Just to annoy his son, Lucius took the time to get a sip of water, ask a house elf for some pumpkin juice, and cleaned his mouth with a napkin before replying, "Of course not, son. I was just having a bit of fun. Whoever did that last night was a fool. The Dark Mark is a guaranteed trip to Azkaban."

Narcissa seemed to stare into Draco's soul when she asked, "What does it matter anyway? She's just a halfblood." Lucius nodded in agreement.

Draco stood up angrily and said, "She could've been killed. Why do you always have to pick on those who can't defend themselves? I'm tired of this. People hate me because of this." He pushed his chair back at the table roughly and stomped off.

Lucius held up his hands in confusion. "What the Hell? I didn't even do it! I just had a bit of fun for old time's sake! What's gotten into him lately?"

Narcissa got out of her chair and curled up in her husband's lap. She put her arms around his neck and whispered, "He's growing up. You should try it sometime."

* * *

Barty had been waiting to find his master since the day his father had imprisoned him. He scoffed at the Azkaban escapees when he heard the news. They were weak. Strong enough to break out of prison but not strong enough to do anything important for their lord. Barty had been resting. He was the only one capable of doing anything worthwhile for the Dark Lord. He was the only one would be able to fulfill his master's wishes. Now all he had to do was find him. He had heard his father telling Bertha Jorkins that they were searching everywhere for Lestrange Manor, but it had been magically transported to a new location. This impressed Barty. They must have a wand. He wondered if they were able to get the Dark Lord his own wand back. He had heard that it was hidden in the Aragon Forest. If they had not retrieved it yet, Barty would gladly fight through any Dark Forest to find it. He would to anything, for his master.

Oh, and he almost forgot. He had the Potter girl under his control. She would do whatever he wanted, whatever the Dark Lord wanted. A girl would never have access to Dumbledore's information, but she did have those Muggle-loving fools' trust. The Dark Lord would be grateful for such a tool. Barty hadn't felt this happy since he tortured the Longbottoms with the Lestranges.

Kim spent the next three days moping around, doing things completely out of character like summer homework and trying to catch up on DADA. Deciding that it was time to stop the madness, Sirius (against Remus's advisement) knocked on Kim's door and entered before she could tell him to go away. "Soooo, Ginny told me what happened between you and Blondie." Kim narrowed her eyes. Ginny was so dead. "But you, know, things will work out. Reminds me of the time Moony broke up with me when we were eighteen." Kim sat up, wondering if he was actually going to say something to make her feel better. "Yup. Worst five hours of my life."

Kim's eyes widened. "Get out of here!" Sirius suddenly found himself being assaulted with pillows and stuffed animals.

Sirius backed out of the room to see Harry and Remus trying to contain their laughter. "I don't understand."

Remus smiled. "Well, let's see…If you broke your arm, and I came up to you comparing it to my paper cut, I imagine you wouldn't be so pleased."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But how are we going to get her to Diagon Alley to get her books?"

"Try luring her out with strawberry milk. Aunt Petunia used to get Dudley to spend time with her by luring him in with the smell of fresh baked cookies." Harry tried to hide his smirk. Kim would not like to be compared to Dudley.

For the first time in three days, Kim willingly marched out of her room. Sirius's eyebrow's shot up. "It seems that the teenage girl has decided to venture out of her habitat! The question many researchers are probably asking is, why? In search of food perhaps? Or maybe she is in desperate need of human contact? The fact that she needs such a thing has been highly up for debate among scientists for the past three days."

Kim tried not to smile and stomped her feet. "Lee's a snitch, and Calvin wants his tent back. I managed to convince him not to completely obliterate the wards. He's only going to be here for a few minutes because he said that he has to commit evil. What evil? I'm not sure and honestly don't want to know." Kim sat next to Harry for a few minutes until there was a tapping on the window. With a huff at the effort of getting up, Kim opened said window as a dark brown hawk flew in with a pitch black owl. Even the owl's eyes were black.

Once inside, the brown hawk changed into Calvin, and the owl became who could only be Cole. He appeared to be in his early twenties at most and eighteen at least. Cole had black hair and black eyes and was dressed in a black suit with a dark brown tie, but that wasn't the first thing you noticed about him. Half his body was scarred and distorted with burns. Harry looked away before his eyes could widen. Cole smirked and seemed very amused by this. Calvin glared at Kim. "I've been looking for that for two fucking years!" Remus made a face at the cursing but said nothing.

Cole looked over at Remus with interest. "Is it true that you guys have cannibalistic tendencies while human?"

Sirius glared at him while Remus shook his head with wide eyes. "No. That's disguising."

"The lies my son of a bitch father told me." Cole shook his head in disappointment and shrugged. "No matter. Do you have any of this pumpkin juice that I could try? I hear it's the shit over here." Now knowing where Kim got her sailor vocabulary, Remus got up to get him a glass while Sirius still glared at him. It was the least he could do since Cole got Umbridge off his back. Cole took a sip of the light orange liquid and sighed with contentment. "Ah yes. It's a good day to be Cole." Harry decided that Ron's word for Cole would have been "barmy".

Calvin sighed and took the folded up tent. "So what's up with the bruises on your neck? If you've tried to hang yourself, I'm having you committed."

"Everyone goes for my throat! Pettigrew slit it and…" Her mouth clamped shut. "Well, I'm sure you read the paper and are just trying to tease me." Sirius growled. Since when joking is around like that with someone who had been committed and did try to kill themselves teasing? He gritted his teeth while Calvin laughed and nodded.

Cole answered for her. "Everyone goes for your throat because they want you to shut the fuck up." Remus closed his eyes with irritation. Even Kim wasn't this bad. Cole made a face at Sirius, Remus, and Harry's appalled looks. "What? I mean, Pettigrew didn't want her to tell about you." He pointed at Sirius. "And this other guy didn't want her to remember him and say that he cast the Dark Mark." He scowled once they realized what he was trying to say. "I'm so misunderstood."

Kim glared at him. "I hate you Cole Pendragon! You've enslaved me and took my Christmas cookies when I was five! And now you say I have a big mouth! Get out of here before I smite thee!"

Cole glared back at her. "You're lucky I have something to do or I'd steal your Christmas cookies for the rest of your life!" A look of anguish and desperation suddenly clouded his dark eyes. He turned to Calvin. "Do you think he'll know anything?"

Calvin shrugged. "There's only one way to find out." In a flash, both changed back into their animagus forms and flew out the window. Kim would never know this, but today was the last day of Tobias Snape's life.

Once they were gone, Kim started to head back to her room. Remus called out, "Wait! We're getting your books at Diagon Alley! I think you should come and get some fresh air, perhaps?" She stopped in the doorway and anxiety flitted over her face. Kim let everyone believe that she was really upset about Draco, which she was, but she didn't tell them that she remembered what happened at the World Cup, because she couldn't. She let them believe that she didn't remember and that it didn't bother her at all, that she just freaked out when it happened and was unaffected by it now. But in reality, Kim's every waking moment was spent fearing that man. Could he get passed the wards like Calvin? If she went out in public, would he appear in disguise and make her do whatever he wanted? Kim knew one thing for sure. He didn't want her to do anything good. However, knowing that she would have to leave the house sometime and that the three of them would be with her the entire time, Kim turned around, sighed, and reluctantly nodded.

Remus and Harry were happy to note that things were back to normal as Sirius and Kim bickered all the way to Madame Malkin's. Harry wondered if Sirius was really, well, serious when he and Kim got into arguments or if he was just trying to drive her nuts. Harry had gotten taller, and he nodded new uniforms, so Sirius decided that Kim needed ones too. "I grew, like, half an inch! Why would I need to go to all that trouble?"

Sirius smirked. "Because, your skirt is just above your knee." Kim looked at him as if to say, _So_? "I would before your skirts to be just above the ankle." Kim's eyes widened. This must be a test! It took everything with in Kim's power not to get into a slap fight with him.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Just ignore him. He's been like this ever since I got you a bathing suit for your first birthday."

"Why would a baby need a bikini, Remus?" Sirius still seemed pretty upset over this. Harry tried not to smile. Sirius was too melodramatic sometimes.

"It was cute! And Lily agreed!"

"Did Harry get a speedo?" Both men stopped walking and stared at her. Kim pouted. "I think that is a legitimate question."

Harry frowned. "I hope not." If that was the case, he hoped there weren't any baby photos, and if there was, he prayed to God that Fred and George never got a hold of them.

Sirius glared at Remus. "No. I was sensible and got you swim trunks with little duckies on them." Kim broke into a fit of giggles at Sirius saying "little duckies" as they walked into the shop.

In the shop, none other that Theodore Nott was getting fitted for new robes. Kim pointed at him with a mixture of anger and horror. "There's no way that you can be taller! You're the tallest kid in our whole grade, and I'm the shortest and now you're even taller?!"

Nott smirked as he hopped off the footstool, and Madame Malkin walked to the back to get the rest of his robes ready. "Four inches."

Kim narrowed her eyes and sat down next to him on the purple couch. "What dark and sinister magic allows such things?" Harry shook his head as the Madame started measuring him. Theo was given his robes but made no move to leave. This bothered Sirius to no end, giving Remus reason to start teasing him.

"Puberty," Theo said dryly.

Kim waved him off. "Been there done that! And all I got was five feet!"

"Don't forget that half an inch!" Kim glared at Harry.

Theo looked at her solemnly. "I'm afraid that you will forever be behind." His eyebrows came together. "What the Hell is this?" He pulled a glittery light blue hair clip from her hair.

Kim ignored the shivers he gave her and snatched out of his hand. "It's my butterfly, and now you've ruined my hair!" She covered her eyes in feigned devastation and pretended to weep on his shoulder.

As she leaned closer to him, Theo turned beat red and grabbed her by her shoulder and pulled her away from him. "Don't do that." His voice cracked midsentence, and then he got up an abruptly left.

Kim giggled as he practically ran out of the shop. "He's so weird."

"I'm sure the fact that you were practically on top of him had nothing to do with it." Harry tried his best not to start laughing at Nott. If he did, he might get jabbed with a pin.

Kim put her hands on her hips. "Was not!"

"Was too!" Sirius growled. Harry and Kim stared at each other for a moment and burst out laughing, and unfortunately, Harry was stabbed with a pin.

* * *

In his room later, Harry frown as he held up the dress robes that were in the bag. "Sirius! I think she gave me somebody else's robes by mistake!"

Sirius leaned against the door frame and smiled. "Nope. They were on your school list this year, for formal occasions."

Harry sighed and put them in his trunk. "I hope I don't have to dance." Sirius laughed as a furious Ron came through the fireplace in the living room.

His best friend was waving around a more horrific version of the dress robes Harry just tossed in his trunk. "Harry! Are you been made to wear something so awful? Mum is forcing me! I swear I'll show up to whatever this event is starkers!"

"Er…" Harry didn't want to tell Ron that his were much nicer.

"Ew! Ron! At least wear underwear!" Kim pretended to gag while Ron threw the dress robes at her. She held them up in inspection. "Ron? If I fix these up, will you be my slave?"

Ron's eyes narrowed. "What would I have to do?"

Kim looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "My laundry for starters…Oh! And I want strawberry milk prepared for me at every meal at Hogwarts!"

Ron looked for the robes to Kim and back to the robes. "For how long?"

"For as long as my Hogwarts career takes! So at the very most, four years." Kim clapped her hands together and smiled.

Ron looked at the robes with dismay and held out his hand for Kim to shake. "Deal." Kim laughed manically as Ron sold his freedom for some dress robes that he would wear once.

Looking at every detail of the robes, Kim drew her lips together in concentration and seemed to be thinking very hard before snapping her fingers and yelling, "MOLLY!"

There was a loud pop, and the house elf that Harry remembered from Kim's memories appeared. "Yes, Mistress?"

Remus looked up from his book and groaned. "Again with the wards?"

Molly looked at him coldly. "I will do whatever it takes to attend to my mistress, even if it means paying with my life." Harry frowned. Hermione would not like the sound of that. However, Harry was surprised that she did not have the accent that he heard in Dobby and Winky.

Kim waved the dress robes. "Fix these up and make them the bestest dress robes you ever laid eyes on!" The house elf nodded and with a pop was gone.

Ron's jaw dropped. "You made me your slave, and you didn't even do anything! You got your house elf to do it!"

Kim grinned brightly. "It was my command that fixed them! Hahaha! I enslaved you with the help of another slave!"

Remus looked up from his book. "What is up with you and enslaving people?"

"Cole Pendragon," Kim said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh so he was the one who started it? I was wondering. Like the chicken and the egg thing." Harry frowned at Sirius and Ron's questioning looks. "You know…What came first? The chicken or the egg."

Ron said, "The chicken."

At the same time, Sirius said, "The egg." Kim walked up to them and whacked them both with couch pillows.

Ron rubbed his assaulted head. "What does that have to do with anything anyway?"

Harry sighed and said, "Oh, never mind."

Before Kim could totally floor Ron by saying that Cole did the enslaving thing ever since she killed his father, there was a pop, and Molly returned with black and white robes that looked nothing like the moldy lacy robes they once were. Ron's eyes bugged out of his head. "I fulfilled your command, Mistress." Molly handed her the robes and disappeared with a pop.

Kim shoved the robes at Ron. "I like my glass of strawberry milk filled to the tippy top so I can sip it for a while without having to pick it up."

"I'm telling Hermione when she takes her five minute break from studying." Ron smirked.

"But-but! You're my slave!" Kim put her hand over her heart at the betrayal.

Ron shrugged. "Wasn't part of the contract." He ran through the fireplace laughing before Kim could threaten him bodily harm.

"Why doesn't she talk like Winky? I met a house elf named Dobby who talked like Winky too. I thought they all did." Harry asked curiously.

Kim pursed her lips. "She used to, but then I spent so much time with her and started talking like that too. Everyone made fun of me my first day of preschool because I called the teacher Mistress and said, 'I is knowing the alphabet good! I sure is!' And then the teacher called for a conference. After that Calvin pretty much raised me until she learned how to talk like us. With him I learned words like quintessential and fucker by the time I was seven." Remus glared at her. "What?! It's true! But then by the time I was eight, Uncle Alexander taught her how to talk properly, and we were reunited once more!" Sirius flinched at the fact that Kim could say 'Uncle Alexander' without a problem.

Harry smiled. "Hermione's definitely going to kill you for not freeing her." Kim sagged in defeat.

"You are supposed to get a dress, but you can get one in Hogsmeade," Remus said to Kim. "I figured you wouldn't want Sirius to be there, or he'll have you dressed as a nun."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Not true! I just want every part of her body except her face covered."

Kim made a motion as if to claw at him. "I have plenty of dresses anyway! And Sirius is just jealous because he's not a girl and can't wear skirts above the knee himself!"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "That is an interesting possibility."

"Hey!" Everyone laughed at poor Sirius, who sulked for the rest of the night as Remus told the story of the time Peter actually won a bet for once, and Sirius had to go to school the next day in a dress. Who knew that the Chudley Cannons would actually win a game?

* * *

Kim found herself dreading returning to Hogwarts for her fourth year. What was there to be excited about? No Professor R. J. Lupin, no Sirius to tease and fight with, and worst of all no Draco! Not to mention the fact that there was someone out there that had complete control over her. _No matter where you are, no matter what disguise I am in, you will do what I say._ He could be anybody.

All too soon on the morning of September first, Remus knocked loudly on her door and said, "Wake up, Kim! We can't be late today!" Kim felt herself break into a cold sweat as she slowly got out bed.

They ate breakfast in silence until Sirius smiled and said, "So excited to start your fourth year? Trust me, if Hermione is anything like Remus, this is your last year of freedom before OWLs."

Before Harry could ask why owls would take away freedom, Kim nervously asked, "What if I don't make it to OWLs? What if I die?"

"Why would you think that?" Harry thought that this would be the one year that nothing would happen. He figured that if the Azkaban escapees were going to do something, they would have done it already.

Kim opened her mouth to say something and then quickly shut it. Sirius and Remus shared fearful looks. They were apprehensive about her talking like that ever since they found out about her suicide attempt. After a moment, she said quietly, "Your Divination teacher said I'd never graduate." She had told Kim that when they ran into each other after one of Kim's many detentions last year. Kim never took what she said to heart, but she wasn't able to tell them about the man. Maybe Professor Trelawney was right, maybe that man would kill her after she did whatever he wanted.

Harry laughed at her, knowing that Hermione would scold her for such foolish fears. "She's been telling me that I'm going to die since the first day of classes last year. You'll graduate. Hermione wouldn't let you miss the chance to study for all those tests!"

Kim pushed her spoon around her cereal. "Whatever." Remus and Sirius shared that look again.

The taxi ride to the train station was pretty silent without Sirius and Kim either fighting or asking if they were there yet the whole way like the trip to the cottage. Every once in a while Harry and Sirius would talk about Quidditch without Wood, even though Sirius knew there would be no Quidditch this year. Remus put a silencing charm in the back of the cab, so the taxi driver wouldn't wonder what they were talking about.

Once they pulled up to the station parking lot, Sirius pulled Kim aside to talk to her. Harry smiled. "He's probably going to make things worse."

Remus looked at him worriedly. "Something's bothering her though."

"She probably feels weird seeing Malfoy on a regular basis. She'll most likely have a few classes with him." Harry agreed that there was something else but had no idea what it could be. Kim was known to keep secrets, but if something was really wrong, she would say something. Wouldn't she?

Pansy and Blaise were waiting for Draco and Daphne outside the Hogwarts Express so they could get their own both. Pansy scanned through the crowd. "Do you think Draco's still upset? He was so boring and mopy for the rest of the summer. I wish that Potter bitch would just forgive him already."

Blaise smirked at her. "Didn't you tell Draco last winter that if she had any self-worth that she would dump him for being ashamed of her?"

"Oh, shut up!" Pansy crossed her arms. "Draco is our friend. We automatically have to be on his side. I was giving him advice then. He chose not to use it. That doesn't mean we side with the blood traitor."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Well, I think Draco should have told his father." He kissed Pansy's forehead, smiling as her eyes closed her eyes at the affection. "I love you so much that I want all to know it, even if you were a mudblood…or even worse, a Muggle. I'd scream it to the heavens if you wanted me to." Blaise laughed into her hair as she squatted at him playfully.

The lovebirds were interrupted as Daphne cleared her throat. "Save the usual booth for us. I saw Vince and Gregg and told them the same. I want to let Draco know of my plan." Pansy nodded, grabbed Blaise's hand, and ran inside the train, telling him on the way what Blaise would consider Daphne's dumbest idea yet.

Daphne looked at Draco's sad eyes and rolled her own. "I'm going to help you get her back." Draco brightened considerably, ignoring his father's confused, worried look and his mother's curious one. "But you have to help me win _him_."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Draco was getting annoyed. He thought Daphne was really going to help him, but how was he supposed to help her with Nott when they pretty much hated each other right now?

"_Because_ he likes her. So, we're going to make them jealous." Draco was just about to open his mouth to ask how when Kim walked through the platform with the usual Potter, Weasleys, and Lupin and Black. He was so focused on Kim that he was completely shocked with Daphne grabbed him by his jacket and kissed him. A few yards away, an unfazed Nott glanced at them at went back to talking to his father. Kim tensed up and quickly ran onto the train. After a moment, Nott followed her.

Poor Lucius was more confused than ever, looking from Draco to Daphne to Pansy's parents to his wife. Narcissa huffed and snapped, "Oh for heaven's sake." She apparated away without another word.

In an empty compartment, Kim put her fists into her eyes to keep from crying and wondered why Draco would be so cruel as to look right at her and then kiss Daphne Greengrass. She didn't notice Theo enter and shut the door behind him. Therefore, she yelped when he said, "He's a fool."

She turned around quickly. "Why? She's better than me. To him at least," She said bitterly.

Theo smiled. "Well, for what's it's worth, I think your _way_ better."

Kim gave him a watery laugh. "I'm glad somebody sees the truth." Theo laughed shyly. "But don't lie to me. I'm a halfblood and a blood traitor."

"I could care less. Why should I waste my time worrying about blood status? I mean, I'm a bit of a misfit among the Slytherins. I think that makes me the lowest of the low. So if I'm that bad, shouldn't I do what I please anyway?" Theo smiled as she giggled. He loved that sound.

Kim stood up on her tip toes. "I think I like that idea Mr. Nott." Stretching up as high as she could, Kim kissed him.

As the train started up, Harry quickly said his goodbyes to Sirius and Remus, promising to write and asking if they could visit at Hogsmeade sometime. Sirius promised that they'd be there. Remus looked at a window a few compartments away. "So Sirius, what'd you say to Kim?"

Sirius grinned proudly. "Just that she'd get over Malfoy and be laughing over this whole matter by next year. I think I really made her feel better."

Remus tried to hide his smile and said seriously, "I think you really made a difference, love." Sirius looked at him confused but turned Uncle Vernon Purple when Remus pointed to the window that Kim was currently pinned against, making out with Theodore Nott like there was no tomorrow.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Remus sighed as a few nearby parents looked at them with horror. The train started speeding up, and Sirius started chasing after the train, expletives growing more violent by the second. In one final desperate attempt, Sirius took off his shoe to throw at the window. Unfortunately, he missed and hit the nearby window, behind which contained a terrified group of first years. Remus laughed silently as an out of breath Sirius trudged over to him. And so begins another year at Hogwarts.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Calvin and Cole knew about Tobias because Lee told Calvin. Lee and Calvin used to be close friends, so naturally he would write this to him, especially if he didn't understand why Kim flipped out at the mention of Tobias. Calvin wants to avenge his baby brother, while Cole wants to see if he can dig up any dirt on Agatha's location. They beat him up and used the killing curse. If you notice, Calvin and Cole's animagus forms are predatory birds. I think that says something about them. I figured Ron deserved at bit of a break with the dress robes. In the books, Harry knows the Weasley's wouldn't accept his money, but I don't think they wouldn't mind Kim snapping her fingers and letting her house elf fix them up in a few minutes. Please R&R! See you next week!**


	7. Unforgivable

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: So, I'm thinking about doing another short story as a companion piece. In this chapter the first time Lucius and Kim met (sorta) is mentioned. I either want to do that or a piece about Sirius and Remus getting together in their 7****th**** year. So, which will it be?**

Chapter 7

Barty smirked at the Potter girl as she was playing with her food, staring off into space, occasionally glancing at a tall lanky boy at the Slytherin table who couldn't keep his eyes off her. It was time to see just how susceptible she was to the Imperious Curse. So low that nobody else could hear him, Barty whispered, "Put the fork down." He had to keep himself from giggling when she immediately dropped it. Mad-Eye Moody didn't giggle. "Tell your friends that you're tired and have to go to bed. And then get up and leave." He grinned broadly as she did as she was told. The Dark Lord would be pleased.

Professor McGonagall smiled at him. "Is everything alright, Alastor? I heard there was a bit of a disturbance at your house this morning."

Barty grunted. "Of course. Cowardly Death Eaters ran at the sight of me. Bastards. Wish they would have properly faced me. I'd like to show them what they're up against." McGonagall nodded at him, still smiling. She believed he was that paranoid old coot.

When Theo saw Kim get up and leave, he, of course, followed her, happily noting Draco's eyes following him the entire way. Outside the Great Hall, he quickly caught up with her and put her hand on his shoulder. She yelped and spun around. Her eyes looked a bit cloudy, but cleared up soon enough. "Where—? Why?" Panic was suddenly evident all over her face.

Theo grinned. "You just got up and left! Don't tell me you're as dumb as Daphne says and have already forgotten!"

Kim shook her head frantically. "No. I didn't, I mean…" She took a shuddery breath and looked like she wanted to cry.

"What's a matter? Are you sick?" Theo hoped she didn't throw up. Because then he would throw up, and there would just be throw up everywhere. Disgusting.

"I-I, I just want to go to bed…" Fear filled her big brown eyes. "Can you take me? Please?"

Theo grabbed her hand. "'Course. Hope you'll feel better by tomorrow. Believe it or not, but classes are rather boring without you." Theo frowned as they made their way up the stairs. She didn't really seem to be listening. It's probably just a headache. "Do you know the password?"

"They'll be coming up soon. Wait with me?" She had this wild look in her eyes, as if she expected something to happen.

"What's up with you? I'd rather not wait for a bunch of Gryffindors at the Lion's Den." He paused. "But if you really want me too, then you have to tell me why…" Theo really liked Kim, but that didn't mean he trusted her.

Hurt flashed in her eyes for a brief moment, and then she snapped, "Fine. Go away. It's not like you could help me anyway."

Theo flinched, torn between wanting to snap back at her and apologizing. He saw that he hurt her feelings and opted for the apology. "I'm sorry," He whispered and hugged her close, burying his face in her hair. She tensed up for a minute, as if bracing herself to kick him in the shins, but then relaxed and hugged him back.

Lavender Brown felt her mouth form into an "O" from shock as she saw Theodore Nott hugging, no embracing, Kimberly Potter. She turned to her best friend Pavarti. Wait 'til everyone else heard about this! They both turned to run into the halls and bumped right into Fred and George Weasley. Fred grinned evilly at Lavender's blushing face. "Oh look, it's the next Rita Skeeter!"

"I wonder what she's going to spread around the school next." George looked over at Pavarti. "Perhaps her cameraman knows." Pavarti glared at him. While she liked to take pictures now and again, that didn't mean that she was a cameraman. Especially since she wasn't a man. Why is Lavender Skeeter?

Before she could ask, Ron said, "Ugh! Gross!" Lavender and Pavarti smirked at the sight of Kim and Nott kissing. They'd definitely have to get to breakfast early tomorrow. They'd heard about the breakup between Kim and Malfoy. Would he be crushed? They had also heard about Greengrass. Maybe not. At Ron's repulsed exclamation, the two broke apart, Nott hurrying away and blushing furiously.

Harry smirked at Kim as she made her way to him. "Well, I guess I see why you left early. Sirius will be pleased."

Kim glared at him as they went into the Common Room. The password was _Adligo_. "I'll tell Sirius about your first and second year." Harry narrowed his eyes. That was a conversation he hoped to never have with his godfather.

That night, Hermione was surprised when Kim pulled out the stuffed snake that Malfoy had given her for her birthday and the pink cow he had given her for Valentine's Day. Lavender and Pavarti rolled their eyes, simply because they didn't know who they were from. If they did, they would have been talking about it all night and have a new story to tell that morning. Hermione pretended to be reading this year's potions book as Kim went to sleep, snuggled up to them and using them as pillows. Hermione sighed. Kim had just jumped into a relationship with Nott, and she was still in love with Malfoy.

* * *

Remus woke up the next morning to see Sirius packing their suitcases as if they had to vacate the premises immediately. He blinked wearily at him. "Sirius? It's six in the morning. The wards are up. What's the matter?"

"We're going to Hogsmeade," Sirius announced proudly.

Remus rubbed his eyes. "I don't think Harry and Kim are going to be there, but I'm sure Severus will enjoy escorting you off Hogwarts property if you want to go there."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "With the Tournament and everything, they probably won't be home for Christmas, but if we're in Hogsmeade, we'll see them every trip and maybe get to sneak in a couple of weekends. And of course, we'll be a shoe in for chaperones for the Yule Ball." Remus stared at him. They hadn't even been gone twenty four hours, and Sirius was already trying to find a way to get back to them. "Also, being Marauders we have to help pranksters in need."

"Sirius, I think you need to read that book Molly mentioned, about letting your first years grow up and find independence at Hogwarts." Honestly, Remus was surprised that Sirius hadn't tried to sneak on the train.

Sirius laughed at him. "Why do that when I can do what gives me instant gratification?" Remus had heard those words a lot at Hogwarts. Sirius waved off any further protests. "It's not like we're going to be sitting around twiddling our thumbs until the next Hogsmeade trip. We'll be helping pranksters, remember?"

Remus sighed. It was too early for this. "And how are we going to do that?"

Sirius stuffed his pajamas into a suitcase. Remus cringed. He didn't even fold them. "Apparently, Zonko wants to retire but not retire at the same time. So guess who volunteered us to run the shop while he's away? Only the bravest and smartest dog animagus in the world!"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Lee?"

"Oh, shut up and get ready!" Sirius said cheerfully as he threw some clothes at Remus. "Zonko gave us one of the apartments above the shop. He moved out to live with his daughter and grandkids."

Because of the way Sirius tapped his foot impatiently at Remus, the werewolf did his best to get ready as slowly as possible, taking a half an hour shower and reading the paper. By seven thirty, Sirius practically had smoke coming out of his ears. After Sirius threatened to run away and find a new werewolf lover, Remus rolled his eyes and went into the fireplace with him.

Remus was surprised to see that the apartment was actually clean. Zonko was never one for tidiness, and Sirius was a slob, who would never clean unless instructed to, so Remus thought the place would be a dusty mess. It was a one room apartment, filled with neutral colors like beige and light shades of brown. He was sure Sirius would change that soon enough. Sirius ran over and jumped on the bed with the off white quilt and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Care to test out the furniture?  
Remus bit his lip to keep from laughing as he followed him. He sighed happily. "You have such a way with words."

* * *

Hermione was surprised to immediately feel a certain wrongness about Theo and Kim after he caught up to her, Kim, and Ginny before breakfast on their first morning of classes. "They're all talking about us out there." He grabbed Kim's arm. "We can eat breakfast in the kitchens."

Kim smirked. "Let 'em talk. I want hash browns, and Ron owes me about a thousand strawberry milks."

He didn't let go of her arm and frowned. "I'd rather not have the Gryffindors talking shit about me and having you break up with me because of it." Kim frowned back. He never asked her out, or vice versa. They kind of just jumped into kissing fits.

She yanked her arm out of his grip. "Don't tell me what to do." There was an edginess to her voice, like she was trying her best not to yell at him. His expression softened, and he nodded. They entered the Great Hall together, holding hands.

After they were gone, Ginny gave Hermione a look that asked _did_ _you just see that?_ Hermione bit her lip. "I really don't know what to make of it."

Ginny put her hands on her hips. "I do! She's meant to be with Malfoy! They're both just being idiots! Kim and Nott are too alike to get along, like they don't think before they do things and have tempers. Malfoy balanced her out. I hope she doesn't go totally nuts without him."

Hermione sighed and looked at the giant doors. "Well, if they fight, they won't last." Ginny looked like she wasn't so sure.

* * *

Harry frowned at Hermione when they were trying to feed the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Care for Magical Creatures. For once, she wasn't really paying attention and was glaring at Nott, who had his arms around Kim's waist. She was giggling and looking annoyed at the distraction at the same time. "If you keep staring, she'll ask why at lunch."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Ginny was right."

"Well, Ginny is always right." Harry wondered where Hermione was going with this but quickly forgot when the skrewt stung him. "Ah! Hermione, I wouldn't tell her that you hate Nott. Then she'll just get angry with you."

Ron looked away from where he was enjoying the tragic look on Malfoy's face as Greengrass tried to put her arm around him and stare at Nott at the same time. "Who cares? Aren't you guys excited for the Tournament? I hear Krum goes to Durmstrang!"

Harry smiled. "I'm just glad to be the spectator for once. Did you ever meet anyone from other schools? Well, I mean, besides Kim and her siblings."

Ron shook his head. "But Mum had a few cousins that went to Beauxbatons. They don't count now though. They're all old like her!" Hermione laughed. Mrs. Weasley would smack him in the back of the head for that.

"I wish my French was a bit better though." Hermione said wistfully. "I wonder if they learn differently there."

Ron gave her an incredulous look. "How do you _learn_ differently?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Socratic Seminars, presentations, more group work. As much as I like lectures, I would be willing to try something new. If my French was better I might be able to sit in on a class."

"I like lectures too, Hermione." She brightened up at Ron's words. "It's much easier to fall asleep without having to participate." Hermione playfully whacked him with a dead grass snake. "Ugh! Fine! You give a nice little presentation for Snape! I'm sure he'll have lots to say!" Harry smiled as they started bickering. It was good to be back.

* * *

During lunch, Kim decided to let Theo have his way (a bit too late), and they snuck over to the kitchens for lunch. Kim grinned like a maniac as she and Theo had a lunch that Remus would never approve of. They were given pancakes by the house elves, but instead of using maple syrup, they covered them in whipped cream and toppings like gummy words and candied cherries. After four pancakes, Kim fell to the ground in a complete sugar high and giggled drunkenly. "This-this is so fun!" She hiccupped. "Draco's always a party pooper!" She made her voice deep to imitate him. "Malfoys don't overeat! Wait until my father hears that you even suggested it! What am I a Weasley?" She grabbed a gummy worm off the table and burst out laughing.

Theo rolled on to the floor with her after devouring his sixth pancake. "What a jerk! Once, when we were little, he tattled on me because I poured apple juice on his favorite stuffed dragon! It was his fault! He cheated at chess!"

Kim sat up, suddenly very serious. "Hey! Hey! Hey! You don't ever mess with stuffed animals! Got it!" Then she smashed a bunch of whipped cream in his face and started laughing again.

Theo rubbed the cream out of his eyes. "How dare you! I was defending my tiny chess people from the wrath of Donald the Dragon." In retaliation, he poured chocolate syrup all over her hair. Soon enough, the Sweet War of '94 began, and Kim threw rainbow sprinkles at him while Theo covered her in the gummy worms.

They were wrestling in their great mess when the bell rang. Kim hopped up, looking at her chocolate covered self. She looked up at Theo in horror. "Shit! Professor Vector will not be pleased."

Theo tapped his chin and after a moment, he shrugged. "I think she'd rather have us covered in sweets and on time than clean and late." Kim frowned. "And if not, she'll send us away but will know where we are and won't yell at us."

Kim licked the chocolate off her lips. "Sounds like a plan."

As it turned out, Professor Vector wanted them clean and late, banishing them from the classroom at the sight of them. On the first day of classes, she always reviewed with students that she had before, so they wouldn't be forgetting anything important. The class was just gathered into groups to do a packet that touched on everything they did last year. After the two candy coated delinquents were gone, Professor Vector announced, "Get together in pairs and have the packet done at the end of the period. We'll go over it in the next." She quickly counted her students. "One group of three."

Hermione quickly sat down next to Draco and Blaise, ignoring their shocked faces. Before they could say a word, Hermione hissed, "You need to get back together with her! Nott is too bossy!"

Draco sighed. "Kim's bossy too. She just hides it with her cuteness." Blaise rolled his eyes and got to work on his packet.

"Yeah, well look where it's got them! Covered in God knows what and missing class!" Hermione made a face as if it was the greatest sin.

Draco gritted his teeth. "Well, it seems that she's having the time of her life without me. I bet she ate too much and will have a stomach ache. That's what she gets." He added bitterly.

Blaise dropped his quill. "Until Theo or Kim breaks it off, Draco's hands are tied. Believe it or not, we do have some morals." He grinned. "Draco's not a home wrecker." Draco pouted. He could be a home wrecker, if it got him what he wanted.

Hermione finished off a few problems quickly as Professor Vector walked by their table to see their progress. "She still sleeps with the cow and the snake you got her!"

Blaise laughed so loud that the whole class went silent. After smiling sheepishly at a stern look from Vector, he said, "That's cute. Almost like some crap from…what do Muggles call it? A soap opera?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but that was when Kim and Theo came walking in. They were holding hands, of course. They always seemed to be touching lately, which annoyed Draco to no end. Theo smirked at him while Kim gave Hermione a hurt look. Then, in front of everyone, Theo grabbed Kim and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back with just as much fervor, as if she were competing with him somehow. Draco felt his blood run cold as the other classmates started wolf whistling and telling them to get a room. Professor Vector hit them both with their packets and gave them detention. Draco glared at Hermione. "Leave the jokes to the Weasel twins, Granger." He finally started his packet, refusing to say a word for the rest of class.

Blaise frowned. Granger was right. But how was he going to get Kim and Draco back together when Theo and Kim were acting like wild animals, and Draco chose this one time to feel insecure? Blaise sighed. When Draco felt insecure, he usually became a bully. He'd already teased Weasley on the train, saying that the Cup tickets were probably worth more than Ron's house. It seemed that Draco kept Kim from becoming a hormone driven nut-job while Kim kept Draco from being a spoiled, egotistical, smarter version of Vince or Gregg. And that meant he was only going to make things worse. Maybe if he watched some of those soap operas with Granger, Blaise would know what to do and all would be right with the world.

* * *

Blaise found that he was right as they made their way to dinner. Draco held up a newspaper article titled "Further Mistakes at the Ministry of Magic" by Rita Skeeter and started making fun of Weasley. Blaise slinked away, not wanting to be part of this and feeling guilty at the look of regret on Granger's face. _I guess she won't be asking for them to get back together anymore._ Blaise was surprised to see Theo at the Great Hall doors, trying to avoid confrontation. He shrugged. Theo never did anything to him. "How's it going, mate? Wanna get some steak before Vince and Gregg make it to the table?" Theo smiled and nodded gratefully.

Draco smirked after reading the article and held up the picture of Ron's family. "Is your mother really that fat, Weasel? You'd think your family couldn't afford all that food."

Kim felt her eyes bug out of her head, and Harry bit his lip to keep himself from screaming_ he's always like this!_ She had never seen Malfoy at his worst, since he was always on his best behavior around her. Harry didn't know why he was surprised when she snarled, "You're one to talk, Draco! Since your father's a pussy ass bitch." If the Great Hall wasn't already silent, it definitely was now. You could hear a pin drop.

Malfoy looked like he wanted to hit her while Kim looked like she was just itching to hit him back. Hermione was doing her best to hold Ron back from attacking Malfoy as well. Before Kim and Ron would ban together and kill Malfoy, Harry grabbed Kim by the shoulder, turned around, and tried to steer her away.

As he got closer to the doors, Harry heard a loud BANG and felt something hot fly passed him. He turned around just in time to see the effects of the second BANG. It was like the reverse of Pettigrew being turned into a rat. Slowly, Malfoy became smaller and smaller, and paler and paler, until he became a terrified, shaking albino ferret. Ron looked like Christmas came early.

Mad-Eye limped down the steps. "Mighty cowardly, attacking people behind their back like that." He flicked his wand so Malfoy bounced high in the air. Kim screamed. Hermione whacked herself on the forehead, which was Hermione code for _I'm surrounded by idiots._

Malfoy ran towards the dungeons, which only made Moody bounce him higher. Luckily, Professor McGonagall arrived to save the day. "Alastor! Is that a student?" She shrieked.

Moody looked at her like that was a dumb question. "Of course. Had to teach him what it felt like to be attacked when his back was turned."

McGonagall took a deep breath. "Well, surely, you were told that we punish with detentions, not transfiguration."

"This is more effective." Moody took a gulp from his flask.

McGonagall flicker her wand, causing Malfoy become human once more. "I would rather you talk to Professor Snape, Alastor. Don't think I won't be talking to Albus about this." Without another word, Professor McGonagall gracefully walked over to the Great Hall, acting as though what had transpired had never happened.

Mad-Eye rolled both eyes. "Come on, boy. I'm sure Snape would like to have a little chat before dinner. It's been a while." Malfoy flinched. His godfather definitely would not like this.

Ron piled his plate high at dinner. "Best memory ever. Makes me wish I had one of those Pensieve things to watch it whenever I need a good laugh."

Kim smiled as Ron happily poured her her dinner cup of strawberry milk. "Professor Dumbledore has one." Harry flinched. He always found it weird that Kim could nonchalantly talk about things connected to such horrible memories.

Making a mental note to research Pensieves later, Hermione said, "You screamed when Malfoy was thrown into the air but called his father such awful names."

Kim shrugged. "I just think he has a lot of nerve to nitpick at other people's parents, when his own father is just…" She could tell by their faces that wasn't enough. "He came over once a few years ago, my house, to do business with Daddy. To be honest, it was my fault. Things got violent between my parents and me. I attacked my mom, and my dad heard while him and Lucius were having a meeting and came into the kitchen where I was choking her and attacked me. Lucius just stood there, did nothing." She took a sip of her strawberry milk and put a curious look on her face. "I wonder how this would taste in cereal."

Ron glared at her. "You just ruined my awesome memory."

"Did not!" Kim snapped. "I was asked a question, and I answered it, damn it! I didn't even go into detail! I'll make it better. Remember Draco's squeaks of terror as he bounced in the air?"

Ron took a bite of mashed potato. "Yeah," He said dreamily.

"And can you imagine Snape's face when he hears what the Slytherin Prince got caught doing?" Ron burst out laughing while Harry and Hermione shared a look. Well, there was nothing they could do about it now.

* * *

The next day, Kim was running late to breakfast. She was just racing down the girl's dormitory steps when Harry made her jump in surprise by saying, "Remus and Sirius want to know if you want to go to Godric's Hallow on October 31rst."

"Why would I want to do that?" Kim's brow came together in confusion.

Harry smiled sadly. "That's the anniversary of Mum and Dad's death. They wanted to know if you wanted to go to their graves." Kim bit her lip, _not really_. "I know you don't really connect with them, but Sirius and I never got to see their graves."

"I'll go." She suddenly looked worried. "But what if they expect me to cry or something?"

"I doubt it. I think the just want you to be there, like a family thing." Harry still found it weird that he had a family.

Reluctantly, Kim nodded. "Fine."

Harry bit his lip. "Kim?" She looked at him impatiently. She felt awkward talking about her real parents. "Er, well…I've been meaning to ask you, but I didn't want to upset you." He paused. There was no backing out now. "Everyone thought Sylvester killed himself, right?" Kim flinched but nodded. "So did they think he poisoned himself or something? I don't understand. Sirius mentioned what you said when you guys fought over learning the Patronus. It sounds like it was something you saw." Harry frowned, hoping she wouldn't get mad or freak out.

She sighed, a bit annoyed. "Sounds like its story time this week?" Harry winced and waved him off. "The vampire venom made him go crazy…similar to that animal disease, rabies. He flung himself out the window."

"Sorry." Harry wasn't sure if he was apologizing for asking or for what happened. Maybe both.

Kim's eyes glazed over for a minute. "Don't worry about it. I just don't like to talk about it. Ever. For future references." Harry nodded, and they hurried off to breakfast.

* * *

All the fourth years were more than excited for their first DADA lesson, after hearing everyone else who had Moody brag about how awesome he was. Harry was surprised to find that Mad-Eye acted like he didn't know him or Kim. Ron said it was because Mad-Eye was out of his mind, but Hermione said that it was perhaps so someone like Malfoy wouldn't say that they were getting special treatment. Kim gave them a funny, almost nervous look when they said this but said nothing in response. Harry liked what Hermione thought. He was tired off people thinking he got special treatment that he didn't deserve. He was grateful if Hermione was right.

During their first lesson, Professor Moody brought a jar full of three spiders, causing Ron shrink back in his seat. "The Ministry is foolish enough to think that you don't need to know dark curses until sixth year. Thankfully, Professor Dumbledore, along with myself, believe otherwise. Now, who would like to tell me a curse that will earn anyone of you, a nice long stay in Azkaban?" He smiled, causing all of his scars to twist grotesquely. He strode over to Kim's desk. "How about you, Sweetie? Tell us all the curse that's on your mind." If Harry didn't know better, he'd say that Moody was telling Kim some kind of joke that was just between the two of them.

Kim shook slightly, but instantly said, "The Imperious Curse." She started fiddling with her hands under the desk.

Moody nodded proudly. "Gave the Ministry quite a bit of trouble during the war. Many said that they were under it, while they commit dark acts." Kim's eyes widened as Moody took a spider out of the jar. Holding the spider in his hand, Moody said, "_Imperio_." Everyone except Kim and the professor started laughing as he made the spider prance around the room, doing tricks as if it were a trained circus animal.

After letting them all have a good laugh, Moody growled, "How funny do you think it would be if I did it to you?" He did that smile again as the class became silent. Harry thought that smile was a lot different than the rare ones he saw at the cottage. This smile seemed….sinister.

"I could make this spider do anything I wanted." He walked around the room but again, stopped in front of Kim's desk. "Drown itself, rip its own legs off…" Moody paused for emphasis. "Kill its own brother." Kim turned a pasty green color. He tossed the spider back into the jar. "Anyone know another?"

Very shyly, Neville raised his hand along with Hermione's. The professor nodded at him. "There's th-the Cruciatus Curse." Neville shuddered at even saying it.

"Longbottom?" Neville nodded nervously. Moody had both eyes focused on him. His mouth twitched but restrained itself from doing that horrible smile again. He took out another spider. "_Engorgio_." The spider swelled, causing Ron to back away as much he could. "_Crucio!_" The spider twisted in agony, making Harry wonder if it was possible to die from pain. Neville looked at it with wide eyes and tensed up as if he were preparing to be cursed himself.

Finally, Hermione stood up and shrieked, "Stop it! You've made your point! Stop it!" Mad-Eye looked at her, fascinated, and finally stopped, muttering a size reducing charm and placing the spider back in the jar.

He walked over to Hermione. "There's one more curse. One more, Unforgivable Curse. Care to share with us, Miss Granger?"

Hermione glared at him. "_Avada Kedavra_." She whispered. Harry wasn't sure if Hermione decided that Moody was a good teacher or not.

Again, there was that smile. "Yes. Only one was known to survive it." He looked at Harry, who froze. This was what gave him that scar? What killed his mum and dad? And Moody was about to cast it, in front of everyone? Indeed, Moody grabbed the last, terrified spider, and placed it on his desk. "_Avada Kedavra!_" Harry couldn't take his eyes off the dead spider. His parents died like that. One minute, they were alive, trying to protect him and his sister, and then with a simple flash of green light, they were gone. Just like that. They couldn't fight it or block it. They just instantly died. Harry jumped at Moody's roar of "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" and heard Kim yelp, but after that he didn't pay much attention to the rest of the lesson. Sure, he took the notes, but part of him was somewhere else entirely, remembering the voices he heard from the dementors.

When the bell rang, Kim stood up and bolted out of the room as fast as she could. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went after her, but she was too quick, and they were distracted by the sight of Neville, who looked just as spooked as Kim. Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Neville?"

He nodded. "Yeah…um, I…I just am a bit worried about the Potions homework…Think you could help me this weekend?" Hermione nodded, clearly concerned and knowing that wasn't what was on Neville's mind.

They heard clunking in the background. "I know that lesson was rough, but I need you all to know what you're up against. Care for a spot of tea, Longbottom? I hear you are most talented when it comes to Herbology?" Neville blushed. "I've got a few books that might interest you." Neville looked terrified at the thought of alone time with Moody but followed anyway, Moody's wooden leg clunking away.

Draco was just heading out of Transfiguration as Kim was racing up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower. His breath hitched. Nott was long gone, eager to get to lunch after a brutal lesson. He had spilled his books all in the corridor outside the classroom and let his friends go ahead. No one (Daphne) was there to mess things up. If he told her that he knew he was wrong to bother Weasley, would she at least talk to him?

His heart sunk when she gripped the edge of the still stair case a few floors down. She seemed to be shaking for some reason. Taking the stairs two at a time, Draco saw that the area was empty. Everyone was at lunch. By the time he got there she was crying hysterically, sobbing words that Draco couldn't understand. He tried to touch her shoulder, and she spun around and screamed, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He never saw such fear in her eyes. "I can't…please…don't!"

"Kim…" He said softly. She was clutching her chest, and Draco thought for a minute that she was having a heart attack. The portraits started murmuring around him. Her hair was soaked with sweat. She wouldn't stop shaking. Draco turned to the portraits and snapped, "Don't just sit there! Get Dumbledore!" Draco sat down next to her and held her close, ignoring the fact that she was covering her mouth, trying not to throw up. "It's okay. Everything's going to be perfectly fine." But somehow, he knew it wasn't.

* * *

Professor McGonagall hated making trips to tell parents that their child was in the Hospital Wing. It was even worse when she personally knew the parents. Harry had wanted to come, but Madame Pomfrey let him have extra time in the Hospital Wing instead. Minerva shivered as she entered Zonko's.

She smiled at the sight of Sirius, telling a recent Hogwarts graduate about the pranks that Minerva knew the Marauders pulled, but could never prove it. Remus smirked and said loudly, "Hello Minerva! I suppose you are glad to know that it was Sirius would turned Professor Dumbledore's hair pink sixth year?" Sirius jumped and spun around, looking everywhere but at Minerva and mumbling that it was all Remus's idea.

"I came here—" Minerva sighed sadly as Sirius cut her off.

"Did Harry put that powerful itching powder in Snivellus's seat? I thought he wasn't going to do it too! He just rolled his eyes at me and said that if he did that it was up to me to arrange his funeral." He said this with great excitement and pride.

Remus frowned at the apprehension on Minerva's face and closed his eyes and gripped the edge of the counter, knowing that something terrible had occurred. "What happened now?" Sirius tensed up as Oliver Wood slunk out of the shop.

"It seems that Miss Potter had a panic attack, after Defense Against the Dark Arts today." Minerva sighed again. She usually didn't have to have this conversation with parents until OWLs or NEWTs. "Madame Pomfrey gave her a Dreamless Sleep Potion and a Calming Draught. She should be sleeping until late morning tomorrow, but I figured you'd want to head to Hogwarts straight away."

Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand why…"

"Ms. Granger believes that it had something to do with the lesson." Minerva paused. Albus was already getting howlers because of it. "Alastor taught the Unforgivable Curses. He demonstrated them to the class." Minerva did her best not to show that she was angry too. Alastor should have at least taken Mr. Longbottom into account.

Remus felt his mouth become a thin line as they silently went into the apartment to floo to Albus's office. This happened last year. But when it happened last year, something was really bothering her. So what happened now? The trip to the Hospital Wing was like a blur. Remus knew that Sirius tried several times to ask him a question, but he wasn't really listening. He was surprised to see Harry waiting for him outside the doors. "She's still sleeping. Malfoy found her while leaving Transfiguration."

"Did he say what happened?" Sirius said quietly.

Harry shrugged. "Pretty much like what happened last year…only worse."

Minerva frowned. "What do you mean, last year, Mr. Potter?"

"During Patronus lessons." Sirius flinched. "You probably didn't know because it was the night Pettigrew got to her." Harry put his hand on the door. "For some reason, the Imperious Curse was what seemed to upset her the most."

They sat by her bed in silence for a while before Remus asked, "So how's school going for you?"

Harry looked shocked that he would even ask. He shrugged. "The usual. Everybody's talking about the Tournament. Divinations sucks."

Sirius smiled. "Try making things up." Remus glared at him. A parent shouldn't encourage their child to cheat. "What Remus? The class has always been a joke. Even Lily agreed. Remember when she flipped out on the professor and dropped it?"

"Ron said he was going to make up the tragedy of my life tonight." Harry said with a small smile. "My worst nightmares will come true, and I will be killed by a wild herd of unicorns, all by the end of the week."

Remus rolled his eyes. "You'll regret it, if it comes true."

"Yeah. What a way to go." Harry smirked. "Trelawney has been waiting for my death since I first set foot in her classroom. Ron says girls like unicorns. So if I die by unicorns, she'll probably be really happy with my death."

* * *

The next morning, Kim woke up wondering why her alarm wasn't going off and jumped up shouting, "HERMIONE! WHAT TIME IS IT?!" She pursed her lips when she realized she was in the Hospital Wing. "This is a really overused plot in the story of my life. No one can be this unlucky!"

"Do you remember what happened?" Remus asked hoarsely.

Kim bit her lip and then said brightly, "Yep! But time to get to class!" She started to crawl out of her bed when Madame Pomfrey bustled over to her.

"Nice try, Potter! No classes for the rest of the day." Kim gave her a defiant look that Madame Pomfrey called the Pre-Tantrum Look. "I'd like to see you try to get away Miss Potter." Madame Pomfrey growled. No patient has ever escaped under her watch.

She dramatically flopped back to bed with a huff and mumbled, "There's nothing you can do anyway."

"Why?" Sirius asked desperately. "What bothered you about the lesson? Harry and Neville were upset too."

Kim remained silent. Madame Pomfrey said, "Can you explain why you had a panic attack?" She stared at the mediwitch, as if she wanted too, but after a minute shook her head in the negative.

Sirius frowned. "Is it that you can't or that you don't want to?"

"I. Can't." Kim said through clenched teeth. "And I can't explain why not either so don't bother." She held back tears. "Just leave me alone."

"It has something to do with the Imperious Curse, doesn't it?" Remus hoped that Sirius didn't start fighting with her.

Kim opened her mouth to say something when Professor Moody hobbled through the doors. He handed her a piece of paper. She stared at him with wide eyes, but everyone assumed it was because of the lesson. "I'm excusing you from class for the next month. We're going to be working on fighting off the Imperious Curse, and I can't have you distracting the rest of the students." He glared back at Sirius, who stood up as if he were ready to fight him. "Besides the pass, the paper has a list of alternate assignments for you to do in the library for the rest of the month. Join the class later if you think you can contain yourself." Without another word, he hobbled off.

"That son of a bitch." Sirius fumed.

Remus looked at the list. "He's always been a bit…rough around the edges, but…_The Deadliest Curses in the World_…_How the Greatest Wizards Lost their Lives to the Dark Side_? Why would you need to know this stuff? It sounds a little graphic."  
Kim rolled her eyes. "He kept saying yesterday _'but you've got to know'_."

"Are you going to be alright? Madame Pomfrey was discussing different potions you might want to try." Sirius shot Remus a look that told Kim he disagreed with her taking any type of potions long term.

"This isn't something that happens often. I just…" Kim didn't know what to say. She physically couldn't tell the truth. "…hate seeing things or people under that curse." She finished lamely. That was true, but it never upset her that bad.

She could tell that they didn't entirely believe her, but if she wasn't telling, there was nothing they could do. "We moved to an apartment above Zonko's." Remus smiled at the face Kim made. "Sirius's idea. So we're close by if you need to write or something. We can floo over in a flash."

"You're leaving now!"

Remus smiled sadly. "Tomorrow. I know that everyone is stopping by during meals. Mal-Draco wanted to know if he could stop by at lunch."

Kim grimaced. "I guess."

* * *

By lunch time when everyone arrived, Kim started going stir crazy and was jumping on the bed. Madame Pomfrey glared at her as she gave Lee Jordan the antidote to the terrible rash poison that a Slytherin "accidently" spilled on him in Potions class. Madame Pomfrey expected her to feel anxious and not want to get out of bed. That clearly wasn't the case. "Miss Potter! I said to stay in bed!"

"I am in bed," Kim retorted simply and jumped extra high. Sirius snickered.

"Sometimes I swear, Miss Potter, one would think you were five years old!" After seeing that no one else was in need of her care, Madame Pomfrey stormed to her office, slamming the door behind her.

Kim stopped jumping to look at everyone. Ron was holding a tray of enough sandwiches to feed twenty with shaking arms. Hermione was glaring at him, probably because they were made by house elves. Ginny was trying to shove Draco, who was looking at the floor, closer to Kim's bed while Harry seemed to be debating about whether he disapproved of this or if he found it amusing. She noted that Theo was nowhere to be seen, especially when Ginny pointed it out. Kim shrugged. "I'll beat him up later." Draco glared at her but remained silent.

Completely ignoring this, Harry said, "Professor McGonagall wants you to be able to change a hedgehog into a pincushion by tomorrow. But only Hermione can do it perfectly, so I think you just have to get close."

"I will not let her down." Kim said solemnly.

After she was released from the Hospital Wing, Kim spent a lot of free time with Theo. He was the only one who didn't ask her if she was doing okay. Ginny insisted it was because he didn't care. Kim insisted that he just didn't want to bother her. He gave her flowers the next morning. That was something, wasn't it?

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I've had two panic attacks before. For the first one I felt anxious for like a week straight, but for the second one, I felt perfectly fine the next day, so I think Kim jumping on the bed that morning isn't too farfetched. Crouch was taunting her in class, and then having to sit through the whole lesson, knowing that he wasn't Moody and what he could make her do, was just too much for her. Theo likes Kim, but he thinks that all her friends are going to verbally attack him, which is why he didn't visit her at the Hospital Wing. Happy New Year! Please R&R!**


	8. Halloween

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 8

Soon enough, the other schools were heading to Hogwarts. Talk about the Tournament was nonstop, making Kim temporarily forget about Moody for the day. Knowing that it would outrage her friends, Kim mumbled at breakfast, "All these foreigners clogging up the school! What's the world coming to?"

Ron's eyes bugged out of his head. "You're a foreigner! Your accent is terrible!"

"No it ain't." Kim smirked as Ron threw piece of toast at her. "Hey! It could've at least not been buttered."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I can't wait to see who's chosen! And we get out of Potions early." Harry grinned. Best news he heard all day. Ron stood up and announced the breaking news: Hermione Granger was happy to get out of class early. Hermione blushed, wondering how to get Ron back later.

* * *

Later that afternoon, everybody was lined up to watch the other schools arrive. Kim was surprised to find that Professor Snape wasn't as mean to her as she expected him to be in Potions class. When she offered to be poisoned for the antidote at the end of class, he just smiled, yes _smiled_, and said as the bell rang, "Maybe next time, Miss Potter." The class looked just as shocked as she was as they filed out of the room, except Draco of course, who gave his godfather a small smile. Kim wished she could ask him, but they hadn't talked since he awkwardly mumbled that he hoped she felt better way back in September.

Kim was rustled from her thoughts when Ginny shook her slightly. "Look at those horses!" Beauxbatons had arrived. Kim squealed with delight. She had never seen horses so big…Or a lady so tall. Madame Maxime had to be a half giant…or a half something! If only Hagrid were here to make some lady moves. Those damn shrewts!

When Durmstrang arrived, Kim couldn't help but wonder how they could be underwater that whole time without a drop of water on them. Harry smirked at her. "_Magic._" Needless to say, Kim slapped him multiple times on the shoulder.

At dinner, Kim and Ginny couldn't stop making fun of Ron for his obsession with Krum. It was like Ron thought he was a god or something. When Ron went googley eyed over a French girl with silvery hair who asked for their bouillabaisse, Kim said happily, "You can have it. It smells funny." Ron turned blood red when she added, "Ron over here thinks you're pretty." She jerked her thumb in his direction, making matter worst. Harry almost choked on his chicken as Ron's eyes bulged out of his head, and he opened and closed his mouth, trying and failing to form words.

The girl replied quite haughtily, "Most do." She turned swiftly and left without another word.

Kim giggled and kicked her feet with glee as Ginny glared at the silvery haired girl. "She's so cool."

"Cool! She sounded rather stuck up to me!" Ginny said, outraged.

Kim nodded. "A lot of cool people are. I mean, she's pretty, has a French accent, and eats weird food. She's obviously superior." Ginny rolled her eyes. "I can only hope to be just like her one day." The surrounded Gryffindors laughed while Kim pouted. She wasn't joking at all.

At the Slytherin table, Krum asked Draco, "So, vhat are vhe girls like here?"

"Depends on the girl." Draco shot daggers at Daphne. "Some of them will use you as a sex object to get what they want." Then he looked over and felt his eyes glaze over. "And some of them are incredible."

Krum chuckled. "I vould not mind being used as a sex object."

Draco opened his mouth to say that he can have Daphne Greengrass, when Theo cut in. "Stay away from the girl at the table across with the dark red hair. She's mine." Draco coughed to disguise his laugh. Krum could easily snap Theo in half.

Krum glanced over at who Theo was looking at. He shrugged. "Too scrawny for my liking. She es short, like…vhat's the vord. The imp." Draco smirked at Theo's outraged look. That's what the bastard gets for stealing Kim away from him! He himself could care less what Krum thought. The less competition, the better.

* * *

The next day was not only the day that the champions would be announced but was also the day that Harry and Kim would go to visit their parents' graves. Harry felt like he was dreading and looking forward to going at the same time. He couldn't remember being physically near his parents, so in his mind this was the first time, even if they were underground. It was weird that their bodies would be so close, but the rest of them would be so far away.

Everyone was happily buzzing about the Tournament at breakfast, but Kim had an expression similar to how he felt. He sat next to her as she fiddled with her cereal. "I'm sure it won't be that bad…"

She looked up at him for a moment and then scowled back into her corn flakes. "What if _they _start crying?"

"Er…" Harry honestly didn't know. He couldn't remember ever being around someone he cared about as they were grieving. "Well, you've been to your grandmother's funeral. What did you do when people started crying?" Harry knew that if he brought up Sylvester's that Kim would get really upset.

"Nobody cried. We partied and ate her favorite: mash potatoes." Ron grinned in approval. "Should we bring some Firewhisky?"

Harry frowned. "If you want to be grounded for life, go for it." Kim pouted. She was just trying to help.

Kim's mood brightened up when Fred and George earned their beards while trying to enter their names into the Goblet of Fire. She bounced off and started running straight for the Age Line when Theo stopped her. "Get a beard on purpose, and I'll kill you."

"Get a beard with me!" Kim smiled at him but something flashed in her eyes, as if she were accepting a challenge.

Theo gritted his teeth. "I'm not kissing you if you have more hair on your face then me."

"Then you can wait until I get it off." Ginny and Draco watched eagerly, hoping that they were going to blow up at each other.

"Then you can find yourself another boyfriend." Kim's fists clenched and unclenched as Ginny stood up from her seat to get a better view. She was disappointed, however, because Kim just shrieked in anger and stomped off. Theo smirked.

Professor Dumbledore, who had just told Fred and George that they could be cured in the Hospital Wing, simply chuckled and said, "Ah young love, there's nothing like it."

* * *

With a pass from Professor McGonagall, Harry and Kim took the half an hour walk to Zonko's around noon while Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went to spend the day with Hagrid. Remus smiled nervously at them while closing up the shop. "Sirius has been a bit of a wreck all day…Mostly absentminded…He tried to put an egg in the toaster this morning."

"Did it toast?" Kim asked curiously.

Remus shook his head. "We're getting a new toaster tomorrow." Kim sighed. Yet another disappointment today.

Sirius stumbled down the stairs with mismatched rain boots on, frowning at the odd looks he was getting. "It's supposed to rain today," He mumbled. Kim looked down at her white boots. Wonderful.

"Um…Sirius?" Harry didn't know if he should continue. "Ones green and the other's red."

Sirius didn't seem to understand and said solemnly, "Yeah. Because it's supposed to rain."

"Okay! I think it's time to head out for the Portkey," Remus announced with false cheer.

The Portkey happened to be the nozzle for an old hose, causing Sirius to distantly mutter that James liked to wake him up by squirting him with a hose in the morning when they were kids. Kim and Harry fidgeted while waiting for the Portkey, not really knowing what to say. It wasn't what he said, it was just the way Sirius said it, as if he were about to cry. Neither of them really had any experience with comforting someone like that. The people they grew up with were not friendly enough to comfort. Remus put his arm around Sirius's waist and squeezed him gently, but Sirius didn't seem to notice.

Once they arrived in Godric's Hallow, Harry couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to grow up there. Would he have played with the neighbor children? Had more siblings? As much as he wished for a different childhood when he was younger, Harry couldn't picture having a happy life away from the Dursleys. He wondered what his parents would look like older, if they would still act the same as Sirius and Remus described them. He pictured his dad as the one who'd he'd spend a lot of time with, but his mum as the one he could tell his problems to and get a calm reaction. Harry had a feeling that his dad would worry as much as Sirius while his mum would think about things reasonably like Remus.

Harry looked over at the old fashioned houses. This was an all wizarding town. Still, Harry was surprised to see kids flying tiny broom sticks on their front lawns while the laundry hung itself up and their parents openly read _The Daily Prophet_. "Hogmeade is the only town that doesn't have in any Muggles at all," Remus informed them, breaking Harry away from his thoughts. "However, not many Muggles live here anymore. After what happened…" Sirius flinched. "They didn't know what happened, but they sensed it that night. A few were murdered in the following days by vengeful Death Eaters. The only Muggles that live here now are the parents of Muggleborns… and a few squibs."

Kim stared at him. "I thought the place would've been abandoned."

"Only the Potter home is…There's a memorial, if you want to go." Harry felt his heart speed up. Would they go in the house? Harry didn't think he was ready for that yet. Maybe next year.

"And I thought the house would be a museum." Kim shifted her gaze to the ground. This place was full of life, not the desolate ghost town that she expected. She didn't know why but that disturbed her for some reason. Remus looked appalled at the thought of the house with so many memories in it becoming a museum that people spent their free time gawking at.

"We're not going in the house this year," Sirius croaked. Harry exhaled in relief. Remus nodded in understanding.

Silence took over once again, until Remus said, "I figured we'd have lunch in a nearby pub that Lily and James liked. They liked it so much that they had their engagement party there. Sirius drank so much he passed out, of course." Remus smiled, but Sirius didn't seem to be listening. Kim gave Sirius a funny look as they made their way over. She'd never seen Sirius drink. He'd went after the Firewhisky once but never drank it, in front of her at least.

The pub reminded Harry a lot of the Leaky Cauldron, except for the fact that the walls were lined with pictures of wizards that had celebrations there. He saw a few of his family, one with Harry and Kim as babies eating their first birthday cake. Harry smirked. Kim was such a fat baby and was shoveling cake in her mouth in a very Dudley like manner. She smacked him on the shoulder playfully when she saw the picture. Sirius always liked to make fun of her for that and to add that it was all Remus's fault.

Sirius was not laughing today however and was eying each and every picture with their parents as if he could will them to jump out of the pictures and be alive with him again. He sighed after he looked at them all. It didn't work.

They ordered soup for lunch since no one felt like eating much, and Sirius looked like he was going to hurl as it was. Remus started telling the story about Lily and James's engagement party but stopped when he saw the look on Sirius's face. "So, how's school so far?"

Harry didn't know what to say. Everything has been about the Tournament lately, but he had a feeling that Sirius and Remus already knew about it. He'd written them letters about DADA, and they told him that he inherited the ability to fight off the Imperious Curse from Lily. James couldn't fight it off for anything. It was the one thing in DADA that he never mastered. Kim scowled when Harry had shown her the letter and ran off to go snog Theo.

"Professor Snape said I could be poisoned next class," Kim said happily. "But I didn't get the chance to score a beard," She ended bitterly. Harry frowned. As odd as it sounded, it was very true.

Remus crushed the edge of a roll off into crumbs and replied, "That's interesting. You'd still try to enter in the Tournament, even though you knew what would happen?"  
"I didn't want to enter! I just wanted a beard!" Sirius gave them a small smile but then went back to looking out the window.

Harry snorted. "With your luck you'd be able to get through and win as Hogwarts champion." Kim opened her mouth, but Harry answered to her unspoken comment. "Even without submitting a paper, you'd still manage." Kim pouted and mumbled that she hoped Harry would have just as bad luck.

They ate in silence, causing Kim to stare off at the other people having lunch today. She smiled at a baby who was putting up a fight while his mom tried to give him baby food. Kim loved babies and mentioned that in Diagon Alley after Harry got his new robes, and she saw a two year old running away from her mother, giggling and shrieking at her mother yelling at her to get back here. Sirius freaked out and tried to give her The Talk in the crowded street. Luckily, she was saved by Remus who told Sirius that it would be in the paper the next day if he continued. If Sirius wasn't stopped, Kim thought that she would have runaway screaming into the streets.

When they visited the memorial, Kim was happy to note that the statue of her sitting on her father's lap wasn't as fat as she really was as a baby. She would have pointed this out, but Sirius wouldn't stop staring at it, so she figured now wasn't the best time. She also glad to see that everyone looked happy in the memorial, not sad and mournful of the life that could have been. The baby that was supposed to be her was reaching for her father's glasses while the baby Harry yanked at his mother's hair.

"When was this built?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Albus arranged for it actually…I think it was…" Remus paused, trying to remember. "A few months after the funeral…February, I believe. I'm not sure the exact date though. You'd have to ask. I remember it was snowing though. That was Petunia's excuse for not bringing Harry."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised she just didn't call you all freaks and slam the door in your faces."

Remus smiled. "She was too afraid of Albus. The meanest people can become the most polite if they're afraid." Harry wondered how nice Snape could be if he was scared.

"When I'm scared of someone, I punch them in the face and run away crying," Kim stated. Harry's mouth twitched at the thought of Snape doing that instead.

Remus sighed. "Sounds about right." He turned to Sirius. "Are you ready to visit their graves?" Sirius gave the memorial one last wistful glance, before nodding and following Remus.

Harry felt almost out of place at the graves. Sirius was the one who really knew them and never got to face the cold hard truth that two of his best friends were gone forever. He tried to look away when Sirius started talking to his parents, wondering if he should give him some privacy. "I guess I feel guilty by the fact that we're here as a happy family while the both of you are…gone, for lack of a better term. I always thought that if anyone was going to die young it would've been me. What with the drinking, the motor bike, and before seventh year, the women…" Kim made a face at that last one, and then shook her head, not being able to picture it. "But you always had it together. You could go a day without doing anything reckless and were always the one to hold me back from doing the most stupid stuff. And you both would be the first ones to yell at me when I managed to do something dumb. And then because _I_ screwed up, you lost your lives. Everyone tells me that it was all Peter, but what did Lily used to say? Never give responsibility to those who can't handle it. Something like that. So what did I do? Handed your lives to the guy who hid behind James whenever there was a fight, or a scolding teacher.

"It took me more than a decade to get my act together. Once I did, I sort of stole your kids." Sirius paused and laughed without humor. "Let them spend all that time being tortured while I wallow in self-pity and then expect everything to be better after a few hugs and pats on the back. I've wanted to apologize for a long time. So this year I'm going to say it: I'm sorry. Next time is going to be loads better. I promise. I'll tell you how Harry won his latest Quidditch match, and Kim earned more detentions than all the Marauders combine." Kim narrowed her eyes. Even when he was sad, Sirius was still trying to make her start bickering with him. "So I'll see you next year. Maybe sooner, if I can get old Moony up to it. He was such a mess this morning. He couldn't even make toast!"

"Yeah. Because there was an egg in the toaster," Remus said dryly.

Sirius shook his head, hoping nobody noticed that he wiped away a few tears with his sleeve and feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. "Details, details, my good man!"

"Sure," Remus said with a smile. "Would anyone else like to say anything?"

Kim quickly shook her head while Harry said shyly, "I didn't think we were supposed to."

"No, no. You don't have to. I just want to make sure that if you had something to say, you wouldn't feel weird saying it." Harry smiled and nodded that he understood. Whenever he thought of his parents, he thought about what could have been, and he wasn't ready to say it out loud. It seemed too private right now, especially since a lot of what he thought of as a kid he already had: parents (even if they weren't in the conventional form) and a brother or sister (even if she was completely out of her mind). Harry felt like he had the big family that he always wanted in the Weasleys. But still, it wasn't the same as having his real parents, and Harry wasn't sure if that was necessarily a bad thing. He also wasn't sure how to put that all into words.

They spent the next few hours sitting around their parent's graves and listening to Sirius and Remus telling stories about Lily and James. Kim was shocked to know that at first Lily hated James. "But-but they should have fallen in love at first sight!"

Sirius roared with laughter at what an eleven year old Lily would have said to that while Remus said, "That's what James's wanted. But that's fairytale stuff, and James was far too full of himself to be Prince Charming." Kim pouted. She and Draco felt love at first sight. She ruffled her hair. That didn't matter now!

Harry smirked. "Sounds like someone I know."

"Just because I'm smart, charismatic, and so damn irresistible doesn't mean I have to be shy about it." Kim ripped up some grass and threw it at him.

"And don't forget mature." Harry grinned even more as he wiped the grass off of him.

Kim's eyes popped out of her head. "That's what I have—" She pulled at her hair in frustration. "You and Hermione for! If I was mature I'd be too perfect and become a god! And that's-that's down right blasphemous!" Harry wanted to sarcastically say "nice save" but decided that Kim had had enough for the day. He knew she wanted to say 'that's what I have Draco for' and also knew that Ginny would've called her out on it. Quick to change the subject, Kim asked, "Did she ever beat him up?"

"No, but she came close. She opted to dump a tub of mayonnaise on his head at lunch instead." Sirius looked over at Harry. "It was the only thing that actually tamed it. Wanna try it for tonight?" Harry scowled at him while Sirius laughed once again.

* * *

All too soon, it was time to head back to the castle and prepare for the Halloween feast. Having been so excited about it this morning, Harry found himself wanting to skip it and hear more stories about his parents. However, they all promised that Harry and Kim would be back by dinner, and, knowing Mad-Eye, if they skipped the feast there would be mass hysteria after the DADA professor announced that they were kidnapped by Death Eaters. It started to rain just as they were almost to the castle, ruining Kim's white boots with mud. She sighed. What a day. And it wasn't even over yet.

Once in the castle, Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes as Nott came rushing up to them. "Were you avoiding me because you were mad at me? If so I'm really sorry…" Nott looked at the floor. Harry didn't really know why everyone had such a problem with Nott. He was just nuts like Kim. A bit bossy, but that was Kim's problem.

"No. I just went to visit my parent's graves." Kim blushed a little, realizing that it was a little bizarre for a girl to want a beard.

Nott's brows came together in confusion. "On Halloween? That's a bit morbid."

Kim cocked her head to the side. "That's the day they died."

His eyes widened. "Oh. Sorry…I just was looking for you… all day."

"Er…I'm going to change my pants…they have…um, grass stains." Harry left quickly. From the looks of things, Nott didn't really have any other close friends besides Kim, so Harry didn't want Nott to feel uncomfortable with him there.

Theo smiled once Harry was out of sight and kissed Kim sweetly. "I really did miss you today."

Kim returned the smile. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Then show me."

Much to the protest of the portraits and any passing Gryffindors, Theo pushed Kim against the wall and kissed her much like he did on the train. He felt like he was on fire and being electrocuted at the same time. With shaking hands, Theo slowly reached up her loose, white button up shirt, pausing at the scar he felt on her stomach. "What's that?" He said breathlessly.

She froze and then smiled demurely at him as she lied right to his face. "Scar from climbing trees. I cried few hours." Kim put her arms around his neck. "Now, if my assumptions were correct, you were aiming bit higher."

* * *

Harry wasn't surprised to find that Kim and Theo showed up to the feast late and shook his head with a smile at how disappointed Ginny looked at their ruffled appearance. Harry didn't know why Ginny insisted that Malfoy was better, but he thought both Malfoy and Nott were just…annoying. Harry would never admit this though, for fear of becoming just like Sirius when it came to Kim and boys.

Kim sat down next to him, grinning like a maniac as Ron poured her the strawberry milk. "Professor Snape gave me detention about fifteen minutes after you left and threatened to write to 'the mutt and the wolf', but I don't think he will," She said breathlessly, piling her plate with as much meat as she could fit. Ron narrowed his eyes, wondering if she would finish.

Before Kim could talk about ghastly girl stuff like kissing Slytherins, Ron asked, "Who do you think will win for Hogwarts? I hope it's Angelina!" Most Gryffindors nodded in agreement.

"I hope it's Cedric!" Kim said happily. Angelina frowned. "Oh, it's nothing against you. I just like that it makes everyone upset. Which is why I say Voldemort." Everyone flinched. "Yup. Cedric and Voldemort. I'm just an asshole like that."

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Cedric's nice I suppose. But, _I_ hope _I_ win." Kim nodded in approval, causing Angeline to throw up her hands in defeat.

Nobody really ate much at the feast, too eager to know who the champion was, except Kim, who was enjoying the one time she ate more than Ron. Harry looked over to see Nott eating like this was just any other feast too. Kim smiled when she saw him looking and swallowed her sausage. "We're gluttonous creatures."

Finally, after dessert, it was time to reveal the champions. Once the cake and ice cream was gone, even Kim and Theo were showing some forms of excitement, Kim stretching up to see past Ron's tallness, and Theo asking Krum who had actually entered.

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes at Kim when Fleur won for Beauxbatons. She jumped up and screamed, "THAT'S ME AND RON'S GIRL!" Not many heard her as everyone else was cheering, but Ron still turned as red as a candied cherry.

Next up was Durmstrang and every Quidditch fan was hoping that Krum would be the champion. Ron already forgot about how much Kim embarrassed him and was one the edge of his seat with anticipation. Harry wondered how long Ron would have been complaining about the injustice if Krum didn't win. He would never know however, because soon enough, the Goblet of Fire turned bright red before spitting out the slightly burnt parchment. Dumbledore smiled at all the eager students and happily said, "Viktor Krum."

As silent and reclusive as always Krum stood up and walked over to the door that Fleur had just walked through. If you looked closely, you could see the smallest of smiles on his face. Once the applause, yells, and declarations of love from a few Hogwarts girls died down, Kim whispered in Harry's ear, "If Ron had a choice, do you think he would date Viktor or Fleur?"

Harry looked at Ron, who was more than overjoyed that Viktor won. "It's tough, but I'm going to have to say Viktor." Kim giggled. Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing at her. The entire Hall was silent because they were waiting to hear Hogwarts's champion, so her giggle was even heard by Filch, who was lurking in the corner on the other side of the Great Hall. Having no shame as always, Kim giggled again and waved to them. Harry covered his eyes in a combination of embarrassment and amusement when several boys from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons waved back.

"Thank you, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said happily. "It's good to know that Hogwarts is getting well acquainted with the other schools." Several students chuckled. Theo and Draco glared at him, until Theo realized that Draco was glaring and chose to glare at him instead. Then the two began a glaring contest.

The Hall became silent once again as the Goblet signaled that it was going to reveal the final champion. "Cedric Diggory!" Everyone cheered almost as loudly as they did for Krum while Cedric bashfully headed to where the other champions were. Even Angelina cheered because, hey, at least it wasn't a Slytherin. Harry smiled at the Hufflepuff table. He had never seen them so excited. Several of them were standing on the table to jump up and down and applaud the champion. He even saw a few first year girls crying for joy. The nearby Beauxbatons looked frightful, like they never saw a group more animated.

Once the excitement calmed down, Dumbledore beamed at the students from every school. "And I thank you all for support towards your champion." He smiled at the Beauxbatons who were sitting with the Ravenclaws. Although some were jealous, one younger girl who looked a lot like Fleur was absolutely radiating with pride. Before he could continue his speech, the Goblet turned apple red once again. Albus felt a spasm of anxiety. This wasn't supposed to happen and when things happened when they weren't supposed to they usually involved—"_Harry Potter_." Albus read the words before they even registered in his brain. That wasn't possible.

Harry felt his mind go blank when his name was called. He would be grateful later when he remembered the fact that Ginny restrained Kim from cheering. There was no way that his name was just called. If he had entered in the Tournament, he would have remembered, wouldn't he? Kim smiled at him brightly. "I didn't enter," He snapped at her.

Her smile faltered. "Of course you didn't! But you're a champion! Doesn't that warrant some cheering?" Never before did Harry want to throttle his sister so much. If she started cheering, people would think that he entered and that this wasn't some kind of misunderstanding. He hated it when people thought he was some kind of glory seeker.

"Well go on then, be with the rest of the _champions_," Ron said bitterly. Harry flinched. Ron never talked to him like that.

Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in comfort, secretly glad that she could touch Harry without blushing. "We'll be waiting for you out here. Don't worry."

Harry sighed and looked at the ground. After summoning all the courage he could muster, Harry followed a grim looking Dumbledore, where the other champions were waiting. Even though he was in a room full of with what without a doubt soon to be arguing people, Harry felt more alone than he had in a long time.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Poor Professor Snape! Seeing students like that is not part of the job description. At least, I hope not… Please R&R!**


	9. The Fourth Champion and Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 9

Everyone tried to wait for Harry to come back out, but Filch yelled for everyone to go to bed. Kim impatiently watched at Hermione and the Weasleys, who were reluctantly getting up and snapped, "Wait a minute!" They looked from her angry face to Filch's and made the right choice (in a certain mischief maker's mind) to sit back down.

Soon enough, Filch was hobbling over to them as the Great Hall became empty. "I SAID GO TO BED!" He seemed a bit worn out by moving past the door he was guarding on the other side of the room and screaming at them without stopping to catch his breath. Everyone turned to look at Kim, who was the reason they stayed behind, but she was gone.

Kim sneered at Filch as she hopped over the tables to get to the door where the champions were behind as quickly as possible. He would be yelling at quite the crowd and wouldn't notice her racing away. She put her hand on the door as Filch spotted her. As his mouth opened to scream at her, she muttered, "Amateur." She shut the door behind her, not letting Filch hear her Marauder laugh.

Strutting in the room in a very James Potter-like way, Kim found a spot standing next to Harry just as Madame Maxime declared that Harry was lying. Harry turned to her, wide eyed like he thought he was in some sort of nightmare. She nodded her head up to him. "Hey."

Madame Maxime whipped around. "Don't tell me 'e 'ave another one!"

"Nope. I just came here to get the scoop." Kim smiled brightly at the dirty look Madame Maxime was giving her. Fleur covered her mouth to hide her smile.

Mad-Eye himself just walked in the room. Kim chose to ignore the questioning look Harry gave her when "Moody" whispered in her ear, "I know I don't have to tell you to help me convince them." She nodded, hoping nobody saw the fear spasm across her face.

"There's no way Harry could have done it," She said, doing her best to keep her voice in control. "He was with me all day, and frankly, I don't think he'd have the skill to get pass the Age Line."

"Thanks Kim."

Kim put her hand on his shoulder. "Any time. And before you say he's _Harry Potter_ and that he could have snuck in the night, I'm sure all the portraits can tell you a very different story." She glared at Karkaroff, who had dared to open his mouth to dispute her claim. "They're just as excited about the Tournament as the rest of us and were talking about who entered at night. I would know. I was making out on a few not long ago and after apologizing, had a good chat with them." Harry resisted the urge to smack his forehead in frustration. Was she making it better or worse?

Smiling, Mad-Eye nodded in approval. "Potter is not a trained wizard and couldn't tamper with something made by Albus Dumbledore. Nor would he have any reason to." Mad-Eye focused both eyes on Karkaroff.

"Are you insinuating that I would dare enter him? Why would I do that? Viktor is obviously who I want to win." Karkaroff tried to glower at Moody, but the fear was evident in his eyes.

"Maybe you don't want Potter to win. Maybe you just want to get rid of him." Kim froze. So that was what Mad-Eye wanted. Kim bit her lip to keep from screaming, since it really wouldn't do any good and would make her look insane. At that moment she vowed to do everything possible to make sure Harry won the Tournament. Little did she know, that was exactly what Barty wanted. "Not that it matters," Moody growled. "Because Potter has to compete since the Goblet is magically binding contract.

As the arguments continued, Kim whispered, "Any ideas?"

"Not a clue." Harry shook his head. "Maybe Voldemort's plan to do me in." Kim frowned. So was this guy a Death Eater? "But it's got to be more than that. I would think that he would want to kill me in person," Harry muttered. Kim sighed, stumped once again. Sometimes she wondered if she was just going crazy. Moody didn't really tell her to do anything bad yet. So was being under the Imperious Curse all in her head?

"And this one!" Barty Crouch Senior pointed at Kim. "Who's to say she wasn't involved? She's got a record as long as my arm and that's only what the authorities know about! Raised by a bunch of ruthless murders!" Kim narrowed her eyes. That was all Ministry's fault anyway. "Who's to say she didn't do this for amusement?"

A very cat like screech came out of Kim's mouth as Cedric and Harry did their best to restrain her. Dumbledore held up his hand. "Now, now Barty. I do not believe that is the case."

Professor Snape sneered at the Ministry official. "She doesn't have the brains to pull it off either."

Kim stopped struggling. "Hey! You stole my own joke and used it against me!"

He ignored her. "I'm sure that Miss Potter will be happy to retrieve her and her brother's guardians. It seems that she is causing conflict where there is already enough of it," Professor Snape drawled. Harry looked at the ground nervously. Sirius was going to flip. But at least he and Remus would be there to defend him too.

Kim nodded and hurried over to the nearby fireplace and flooed, leaving Harry to wonder if Professor Snape just tried to help him out. If so, he disguised it pretty well. Snape insulted Kim and didn't even look at Harry as he said it. He acted like he was just trying to get rid of her, but Harry wasn't so sure that was the case.

Sirius was writing to Fred and George about their latest projects when Kim hopped out of the fireplace. Confused, he asked, "What happened now?"

Kim looked around the room, noting that Sirius was the only one in there. "Hey! Why aren't there any pictures of me in here?" She put her hand on her hips. "I thought I was the light of your dull and boring life!"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Any particular reason why you're here?" Sirius knew something was up. Kim barely wrote, let alone visited.

Kim sighed. Her distraction clearly wasn't working, but Remus wasn't here to keep Sirius from hysterics. "Where's Remus?"

"In the shower," Sirius stated. "Now, what happened? You're not in the Hospital Wing, so what happened to Harry?" Sirius tried to keep calm. For all he knew Harry did some horrible prank, and Kim was the only one who wasn't injured or covered in dung bombs from it.

Kim laughed nervously. "Ha, Ha…Well, you see…"

Remus was just getting out of the shower after a long day when he heard the oh so pleasant sound of Sirius's voice. "WHAT? YOU GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Remus rubbed his face furiously with his towel in frustration. Halloween just had to be cursed. And why did everyone have to resort to the 'F' word? He hated swearing with a passion.

Getting dressed quickly, Remus emerged from the bedroom to find Sirius pacing and Kim sitting on the sofa, kicking her feet impatiently. "Did you hear what she said Moony? Someone placed him in the bloody Tournament! And those bastards say he has to compete! There is no way! I'll hack the goblet to pieces first!"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Harry is the Hogwarts champion?"  
"The second one. Cedric was called first. Everyone thinks Harry is lying and entered, but that's not true!" Kim punched the sofa in annoyance. "Moody says that Karkaroff is trying to kill him." She added, but she sounded like she didn't believed that.

"Oh yes! Bring an ex-Death Eater into the school and blame a fourteen year old boy for this!" Sirius ranted.

Glad he had sense to put regular clothes on after Sirius's outburst, Remus asked, "Well, do you want to get out of your pajamas before we headed off to Hogwarts?" Remus tried not to smile, knowing Sirius wouldn't want to waste time.

"No! They're in that room behind the Great Hall! Harry needs us Remus! And you're worried about my nightwear?" He was wearing white and baby blue striped pajamas. Kim wondered if that would at least make Harry smile and not look so frightened. Before anyone could respond, Sirius jumped up and stormed through the floo. Wondering what was going on at Hogwarts, Kim and Remus followed.

Kim was the last to walk through the floo again and already found Sirius yelling as she reentered the room. "What do you mean magical contract?! Only three were supposed to come out! Isn't that against what the thing promised anyway?"

"Sirius—"

"Don't Sirius me, Albus! This is Voldemort's doing, and you know it!" Sirius was practically foaming at the mouth.

Crouch glared at him. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead."

"Then who would do it, Barty? If you think it was Harry, you better finalize your will before saying it out loud!" Harry sagged his shoulders in relief. At least Sirius believed him.

Before Sirius could rip someone's throat out, Remus asked, "Are you sure there is no way for him to get out of competing? What are the consequences for breaking the contract?" Nobody answered, which confirmed what Remus thought. "Why would a bunch of teenagers be allowed to be part of a contract that would kill them if they break it? All for a game?" Ludo Bagman looked like he didn't understand what Remus's problem was. Harry in the Tournament made it more exciting.

"It is tradition," Crouch said solemnly. "There is nothing you can do, Black, but try to ensure that your godson survives." Sirius looked like he saw red.

Sirius was still arguing with everyone when Kim, Harry, and Cedric made their way to bed. Before Cedric made his way to his own dorm, he asked, "Did you enter? I won't tell if you did. I'm just curious of how you managed it."

Harry sighed in frustration, knowing this wouldn't be the last time he was asked. "I didn't enter. Why would I do it, if it caused so much trouble anyway? It's not like it makes me look good or anything. Just makes me look like a glory-seeking git." He mumbled. Cedric shrugged like he didn't know either and headed off to bed.

Harry found himself only half listening to Kim's babble about how she was going to make sure he won to show all those 'losers' that he was the best 'Quadwizard' champion ever. He also could not get her to stop saying Quadwizard, since Triwizard was 'outdated', as she put it. She went on about how Hermione would research for him, how Ron would make him see everything like a chess board, how she herself would teach him gymnastics to help him cartwheel away from danger, and how Ginny would teach him every hex she knew and would be the beautiful lady he would return to after battle. Harry felt like his head was spinning by the time he headed up to bed, and he wasn't even fully listening to her!

There was a bunch of Gryffindors waiting, to Harry's horror, to celebrate his victory as champion. Everyone was asking the same question of course. "How'd you do it?"

Harry honestly just wanted to go to bed and try to forget the whole thing ever happened. He did manage to smile when Ginny stood up on the couch and shouted, "LISTEN UP! ANYONE WHO WANTS TO QUESTION HARRY HAS TO SURVIVE MY BAT BOOGEY HEX FIRST! Now, who's ready?" She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently. Harry hardly had time to appreciate the silence that Ginny managed to create because Kim grabbed his arm and forced him up the steps, saying that she'd see him tomorrow before hurrying off to find Hermione.

Harry was glad to see that Ron was to only one in the room. He just didn't want to be bothered with anyone else right now. Harry frowned at the sour look on his best friend's face. "So, what's happened since I left?"

At first, Harry thought Ron wasn't going to say anything, but after a few minutes, he muttered, "You could have at least let me enter with you."

"What?" Disbelief rang clear in Harry's voice.

Ron sat up. "Well, we're best mates. I figured if you were going to enter, that you would've wanted me to enter with you."

"Ron! I didn't enter! I have no idea how my name got in the Goblet." Harry felt his eyebrows shoot up as high as they could go. All his friends believed him. Hell, even Snape appeared to, once he got to insult him a few times. Why didn't Ron?

Ron rolled his eyes. "So what then? It just popped in there out of nowhere?" Ron sounded just as shocked as Harry felt.

"Someone put it in there." Ron snorted. "To try to kill me, idiot! How come you're the only one who doesn't believe me?"

"I think if You-Know-Who was trying to kill you, he'd want to do it himself, and it's not like he can be one of the challenges." Harry gritted his teeth. He'd been thinking along those lines earlier too. "Whatever. I'd get to bed if I were you. Won't want bags under your eyes for _The Prophet_ tomorrow."

Harry went to bed trying not to think about jumping out of it to beat the stuffing out of Ron. After all they'd been through, why would Harry want to compete in something dangerous like that? Before it had been to save the Stone or Ginny or whoever else was in danger. The Triwizard Tournament was just for others entertainment, which, in Harry's opinion, was a waste of his time. He drifted off to sleep feeling betrayed and frightened about the challenges to come.

_Harry felt anxiety course through him when he realized that he was dreaming of Lestrange Manor. He knew this wasn't any ordinary dream. He saw a man with light brown hair on his knees, talking with that thing that was Voldemort. There was a piece of paper on the long black table. "Wormtail!" Voldemort snapped coldly. Pettigrew hurried over, to lift up the paper so his master could get a better look. "As soon as possible in my opinion. As loyal as you are, I'd rather have her under __**my**__ control."_

"_Yes, yes. Of course Master. However, I know what I must do if __**they **__fail." The man looked at the surrounding Death Eaters with contempt. Bellatrix looked at him as if he were a flea that she was restraining herself from stomping on._

_Voldemort laughed cruelly. "If they do fail…Well, they will pay…" A collective shiver ran through all the Death Eaters. "I want you to stay away, however, when the time comes. I can't risk you exposing yourself. I would go after Potter that day, but I want to kill him properly with a duel, and I fear the potion is not finished." Voldemort smiled, making Harry want to vomit. In the form he was in, Voldemort had no teeth and looked like a cross between a demon ready to kill and an unborn fetus. "However, that doesn't mean we don't get to have a little fun." All the Death Eaters started to laugh, some of them nervously, like Pettigrew, others hysterically, like Bellatrix._

When Harry woke up, the laughter was still ringing in his ears. His head felt like it was going to explode, but he didn't want to yell out in pain and attract more attention to himself. He turned over to look at Ron, but his best friend's back was facing him instead. As the pain turned into a dull ache, Harry decided that he would write to Sirius and Remus first thing in the morning. For now, all he could think about doing was sleeping the pain away.

* * *

Harry was glad that Ron was already at breakfast when he woke up the next day. He just didn't want to deal with…whatever was up with Ron. Plus, he had to write to Sirius and Remus as soon as possible, before he forgot what he dreamed about. Quickly, he wrote that he had another dream and that Voldemort was after some girl. Sirius had told him once that Voldemort went after muggleborns, making them kill their parents with what Harry now knew was the Imperious Curse so Voldemort would have something to laugh about. Harry just hoped Voldemort wasn't after Hermione. Clutching the letter, he saw Hermione, Kim, and Ginny waiting for him at breakfast. "Er, Kim? Why do you have a whip?"

Kim looked up from where she was sleepily gazing at the carpet. "Because Ron's my slave and if he gets uppity and doesn't give me my milk, I'm going to put him in his place!"

"I'd put that away…You wouldn't want to get expelled or something." Ron was acting like a prat, but Harry didn't think he deserved to be whipped in front of everyone in the Great Hall. Kim huffed in annoyance but, after a moment, got up to comply. "Why do you have so many weapons anyway?"

Kim blinked at him like he was asking a dumb question. "I get them for my birthday from Daddy." As she ran up the stairs, Harry secretly prayed that Russell Pendragon never gave Kim or himself anything for their future birthdays.

Hermione sighed. "Ron's just jealous, Harry. Give him some time to get over himself."

"He sure get jealous over weird stuff," Ginny said in exasperation. "I better not tell him that I have a migraine or else he'll stop talking to me too." Harry smiled, causing Ginny to blush furiously.

Kim hopped down the stairs. "Who'd you write to, Harry? If its Sirius, he's the library, trying to find a way to get you out of the Tournament." Harry gaped, wanting to tell Sirius but not wanting to see his reaction. "I know! Sirius, in the library! And Remus isn't even there to force him! He went _willingly_. Remus says there's no way to get you out of it, and Sirius is just being stubborn, so Remus went back to the shop." Harry looked at the letter and put it in his pocket, figuring that he would like to have breakfast before giving Sirius a heart attack.

"Do you want us to bring you something up?" Kim asked. "Or you and Ginny could go to the kitchens?" Harry and Ginny blushed. "Okay then! Go! Me and Hermione are strong independent women, who will defend your honor!" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Kim when Harry and Ginny left. "What! If Ginny gets with him than she'll leave me and Theo alone."

"Theo and me," Hermione corrected.

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Stay away from my man…boy…wizard!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh never mind."

Ron sat with Seamus and Dean at breakfast that morning, and Kim assumed it was to hide from them. Well, he wasn't getting away that easily! "I. Want. My. Milk," Kim growled dangerously.

"Leave me alone," Ron mumbled looking down at his toast and scrambled eggs.

"I will," Kim said simply. "Once you pour me my milk, Boy." Ron stared at her for a moment, torn between being stubborn and just pouring her her damn milk. With a grunt at the effort of getting up, Ron complied with his 'master's' wish and poured it. Ron ignored the look Hermione was giving him. He knew he was wrong, but he was just tired of being in Harry's shadow all the time. "Good." Kim nodded in approval once the cup was filled. "I'd whip you for your ignorance, Boy, but Harry told me not to. Remember that." Then she went about eating her breakfast as if nothing happened. Ron sighed, wondering to himself when he'd get the courage to apologize.

* * *

After a quick breakfast with Ginny, Harry headed off to the library to find Sirius. Harry smiled as he walked past Madam Pince at the memory of breakfast. The house elves thought he and Ginny were on a date and put a cup filled with flowers in between them. Ginny wouldn't stop blushing every time she looked at them.

When Harry finally found Sirius, his godfather was surrounded by books and muttering to himself, making Harry think he finally lost it. "Er…Did you find anything?" Sirius yelped, earning himself a glare from Madam Pince.

"No! I even have access to the Restricted Section! That always was James's dream," Sirius said wistfully. "But there is hardly anything in here on the Triwizard Tournament to begin with."

Harry grimaced. "Don't worry about it, Sirius. There's nothing you can do." Harry fingered at the letter in his pocket, half wishing he had ignored Ginny and sent it anyway. "I, er, had a _dream_ last night."

Sirius bit his lip, trying not to yell. "Oh, really," He said in a strained voice. "I'll tell Albus after you tell me." He tried to smile encouragingly but just looked like a deranged maniac.

Harry quickly told him all he could remember about the dream. "Was there anything they said about the girl?" Harry shook his head, causing Sirius to stand up and start pacing. "He must have been excited…having someone to control. The Death Eaters are clearly planning to attack her. But I wonder who this other guy is. Whoever he is, he must have some sort of access to her that Voldemort wouldn't have."

"But Voldemort is so weak," Harry said. "He wouldn't really have access to anyone. This other person…They could be anyone, a neighbor, co-worker, or teacher. I've never seen him before."

Sirius opened his mouth to say that they couldn't really know until the Death Eaters attacked, which would be too little too late, but then, the bell rang. "I will talk to Albus about this! Just-just ignore everyone's comments." Harry nodded, wanting to talk to Sirius about Ron but not wanting to worry his godfather further. He stopped on his way to the doors and turned around, realizing that Sirius was in his pajamas and looked down to see fuzzy dog slippers. He laughed to himself as he quietly shut the door behind him.

* * *

Later that day, just before Potions, Malfoy decided it was time to show his ugly side again. Harry honestly didn't know what his rival was thinking. One day he was making puppy eyes at Kim, and the next, he was giving her reason to attack him. He proudly displayed badges that dubbed Cedric the real champion and then changed to "Potter Stinks". Harry was doing his best to stick to Sirius's advice when he heard Kim's banshee like shriek. She jumped on Malfoy, knocking him to the ground and punching him as best she could since she was lying on top of him. She honestly looked like those kids who threw themselves on the ground after a tantrum, kicking, punching, and screaming. The only difference was that instead of the floor taking her abuse, it was Malfoy. She kept shrieking the entire time, not even trying to form words, and Harry saw Ron laughing hysterically in the background. "POTTER! Professor Dumbledore's office now!" Professor Snape looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him, and that was saying something, considering all the times the Gryffindors infuriated the Potions professor. Kim stood up and stared at him, and Harry noticed that her eyes were a few shades lighter than normal.

"Okay." She shrugged as if it were nothing. That only made Snape more livid.

"I can see that I'm going to have to escort you to Professor Dumbledore's office myself, Ms. Potter. Believe it or not, I don't trust you to actually go there. Fifty points from Gryffindor for holding up my class and attacking a fellow student." The Gryffindors groaned. "Want to make it sixty?" They shut up quickly.

After Snape left, a red faced Draco stood up quickly, brushing the non-existent dirt of his pants, and said, "Tell Professor Snape, I-I'll be right back." He hurried away quickly, ignoring Harry and Hermione's looks of revulsion.

Blaise nodded and then started laughing with Vince and Gregg. In between laughs, he managed to choke out quietly, "Masochist." Vince and Gregg laughed trollishly.

"Blaise?" Vince asked.

"Hm?"

"What's a masochist?" Gregg looked like he was waiting for Blaise's answer too. Blaise stared, wondering why they would laugh with him when they didn't know what he was talking about.

"Because they're idiots," Pansy whispered in his ear. Blaise couldn't agree more.

* * *

Sauntering to her next class, Kim ran into Rita Skeeter, who was just leaving from where Harry was getting his wand weighed. Kim grinned evilly. "Ms. Skeeter! Do I have the story for you!" Rita returned the smile.

* * *

The next morning, Harry felt like he was going to explode with embarrassment at Skeeter's article. That is, until Ginny slid next to him and cheerfully said, "Read the article after that!"

"_Ronald Weasley: Hero and Animal Lover" By Rita Skeeter_

_After interviewing her brother, Kimberly Lily Potter Pendragon came to me to tell the story of another hero: Ronald Bilious Weasley. It appears that the young man saved Kimberly from what would have surely been her unfortunate demise._

"_It all started when I was studying with the smartest girl in the world, Hermione Granger," Ms. Potter stated, the suspense filling the small room that we conducted the interview in. "I quickly became bored and wandered off, but Hermione, being so studious, didn't notice and kept reading about the History of House Elves. Soon enough, I was in the Forbidden Forest."_

"_Was it a full moon? Were you bitten by Remus Lupin?" I had to ask, considering the girl's summer living arrangements.  
"What? NO! It was during the day!" She exclaimed. I only hoped that I wouldn't be writing the article about something so horrible one day._

"_Anyway, after gazing at all the birds in the trees, I quickly became lost and stumbled upon a nest of flobber worms. But! They weren't any old flobber worms! They were rabid and wanted to feast upon my flesh!" The poor girls eyes widened at the horror that she had faced. "I wanted to scream! But I am allergic to the creatures and could only wheeze!"_

"_How did you feel, knowing you were going to die?" I couldn't help but be captivated by this brave young girl's story._

"_I felt like I was never going to be able to tell Fleur Delacour how much I admired her hair." Her eyes filled with tears. "It is the most horrible feeling. I wouldn't wish it one anyone."_

_I patted the girl on the shoulder and asked her to continue her story. "Well…" She sniffled. "Just as I thought the end was near, I heard the nay of a horse and looked up to see a heard of unicorns! On the leading unicorn was none other than Ronald Weasley, red golden lochs flowing in the wind. He said, 'Don't worry, lass! I shall rescue you! Quick! Hop on to my trusty steed, Marshmallow Gumdrop.' He held out his big strong hand for me and pulled me up on the unicorn. Once I was safe, Ronald drew out his sword and started hacking at the beasts, making sure they would never harm a beautiful lady such as myself again. Once the last beast was slayed, he jumped back on to Marshmallow Gumdrop and escorted me back to the castle so I could return to Gryffindor Tower safely."_

"_Did the two of you start a romantic relationship afterwards?" Ronald sounds like a pretty dashing fellow._

_Almost regretfully, Ms. Potter shook her head. "No. I tried to kiss him to thank him for his heroic deed, but he stopped me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and told me, "I am saving myself for my one true love." And then he tied a rope to the window in Gryffindor Tower and elongated it so he could shimmy to the ground. He then road off into the sunset on Marshmallow Gumdrop."_

_I felt my own heart ache at the end of the story. Everyone thought of Ronald as Harry Potter's best friend, the sidekick, but clearly, he is something more. A hero._

Harry looked up from the article, smiling. "Well, Ron's definitely going to get some attention now." Ginny grinned and laughed into his shoulder. Harry couldn't get over how right that felt.

Meanwhile, Ron was being flocked by girls from all grades and all three schools asking him who his one true love was. His ears felt like they were going to explode from all the embarrassment, and Ron was sure that they were such a deep red that they were almost purple. Ron looked around at everyone else who was staring at him but hadn't bothered to come over and harass him. Not used to so much attention, Ron wasn't sure if he should say that the article was a lie or not.

* * *

Kim, running late as usual, was hurrying to their first Hogsmeade trip of the year with Ginny trailing behind. The only reason Ginny was running late too was because she forgot her permission slip, and poor Errol had to deliver it to her this morning. Kim chose to ignore Ginny's exhale of annoyance when Theo found them at the gates. "There you are! I need you to come into Madam Puddifoot's with me."

"Why?" Kim and Draco used to make fun of people who went in there.

Theo gripped her shoulders desperately. "Because! I've always wanted to go in, but I'm not girly enough to go in by myself. That's what I have you for now."

"I'm not sure what to make of that…"

Theo shook her a bit. "Not only do they have Christmas cookies early, but…They. Have. Creampuffs!"

Kim's eyes widened. "Well, what are we waiting for?!" They both ran in. Ginny made sure to hurry away in the opposite direction and then set off to Three Broomsticks to find everyone else. Still, she heard Kim call out, "I'll meet you there after we get lunch." Ginny shook her head. Cookies and creampuffs for lunch?

Ginny smiled when she saw Harry talking to Sirius, glad that he wasn't stressing about the Tournament. She was just about to tell him where his sister had gotten off to when she heard over a dozen popping noises. Just as she was turning to see who it was, Harry shouted, "MOVE!" He pushed her to the ground just as a stunner hit the nearby window.

Ginny heard a woman cackle and yell, "Rodophus! Wrong ickle girly, love!"

Sirius immediately started dueling the woman with a look of pure hatred on his face. People were running and screaming all over the place. Ginny saw that the Death Eaters were closing in on them and tried her best to send as many hexes towards them as possible. They were so quiet until now. What did they want so badly that they would risk being arrested again?

Ginny couldn't think about that now though because the Death Eaters were not here for tea and a nice little chat. She shivered as a bright green light flew past her head. "_Confundo!_" Ginny shot at the Death Eater who just tried to kill her. He was confused, but still managed to send a stinging hex her way. Yup, now was definitely not the time.

Harry swore as Hermione was quickly stunned and did his best to protect her, thinking that the Death Eaters were after her. "_Expelliarmus!_" He managed to disarm Rodolphus Lestrange, but his brother was hurrying towards him.

"_Reducto!_" Harry tried to jump out of the way and drag Hermione away as the side of Three Broomsticks exploded. He wasn't fast enough, however, and a huge brick hit him in the head. His cry out in pain distracted Sirius, giving Bellatrix the opportunity to strike, or at least, she thought it did.

"AV—" At first, Harry thought the green flash heading right for Bellatrix was the Killing Curse that the woman herself was about to cast, but it wasn't bright enough. Whatever it was, it hit Bellatrix right in the forehead, not knocking her over, but shocking her quite a bit. Harry almost laughed out loud when Bellatrix held it up. "A CHRISTMAS COOKIE!" Indeed it was. The green flash Harry saw was the green sprinkles that covered the top. Bellatrix's forehead broke it into large chunks, but it was clear that the cookie was once in the shape of a Christmas tree.

Harry looked past where Remus was fighting Dolohov and saw Kim, looking both ridiculous and brave with a platter of cookies in one hand. "There's more where that came from Bitch!" Harry stood up with shaky legs as Kim took out her wand a pointed it at Bellatrix. With a flick of the wrist, she sent what felt like a gust of hot wind towards her. It shot Bellatrix several feet away from where she was one standing, and the air above her burst into flames in the shape of a lioness. Rodolphus rushed over to Bellatrix, who was unconscious and looked like she had horrible sun burn, and quickly apperated away.

Rabastan rushed over to Kim, knowing that she was the one to catch and knew one way to stop her. "_Crucio!_" Instantly, Kim fell to the ground screaming, and Harry felt hatred burn throughout his body. Without thinking, Harry charged at him, and Rabastan would have stunned him, but that look that Harry was giving him freaked him out. Not even the Dark Lord ever looked that angry. Wondering later why he never used his wand or apperated, Rabastan ran away from the scene, Harry chasing after him.

Sirius was about to help Remus out when he saw what Harry was doing. There was no way that his godson was going to find himself alone with a Death Eater. "HARRY JAMES!" By the time he caught up to Harry, the boy had tackled Rabastan to the ground, flipping him over and punching him in the face repeatedly. Sirius stood right next to Harry as the Death Eater's teeth started flying out. "I think he's past losing consciousness, son." Harry stopped at stared at Rabastan. He was very still but breathing. Harry didn't know why he became so violent. He just knew how that curse felt…

When Harry stood up, the world swayed a bit. He mumbled, "Sorry," as Sirius held him still.

"Did you get hit in the head? You're bleeding." Harry nodded. "Do you know what curse?" Harry heard Sirius's voice shake with anxiety.

"A brick." He leaned into his godfather and passed out.

The Cruciatus Curse was lifted off of Kim as Harry started chasing after Rabastan. She stood up, wiping the tears out of her eyes when the aurors arrived. She was surprised to see Dora and Kevin on either side of a bald, black wizard. Quickly, the Death Eaters started to apperate away. The aurors' stunners just missed them. "Oi! What's with all the cookies?" Kevin looked like he was trying to glare and smile at Dora and her question at the same time.

Kim walked slowly over to them, glad that Theo completed his mission of heading over to Dumbledore. He tried to stop her and make her go with him, but Kim kicked him in the shins and ran off with the cookies before he could stop her. From the look on his face in the background, he was not pleased. She decided to deal with that later. "Why are you guys here? You're trainees!"

The man in between them, who Kim would learn was named Kingsley said, "I was giving them their grade for their group work when the alarm sounded. I took over as teacher for Mad-Eye." He looked around. "Did you manage to stun any?"

Breathless, Ginny said, "Harry and Sirius ran off after one of them. They're down there." She jerked her thumb over to where Sirius was trying to hold Harry up. Once they realized that he was, they rushed over.

* * *

Harry woke up in what could only be Sirius and Remus's apartment over Zonko's, gasping slightly in shock as Madame Pomfrey poured a potion down his throat. She shook her head at his choking. "It may taste nasty, Mr. Potter, but it will keep you out of the Hospital Wing for concussion related side effects."

Harry sat up. "What happened? I mean, why?"

"They're clearly looking for someone…Bellatrix told her husband that Ginny was the wrong girl." Remus sighed. "But…there were a lot of girls in Hogsmeade, and those who attacked were the ones who, honestly, liked to attack for fun." Remus gave Harry a small smile. "Rabastan was always ruthless. I guess he deserved to lose four teeth." Harry blushed. "He's in custody, but not saying a word. That's why they got caught in the first place. They weren't ashamed of what they had done, flaunted it even."

"Yeah…but in my dream…" Harry still thought they were after Hermione. "I mean, they hate muggleborns, so wouldn't they want to turn Hermione against me?"

"What?" This was the first time Hermione heard of this, and Harry quickly explained his theory. She looked skeptical.

"Still. Having the nerve to attack so close to Hogwarts…" Worry lined Sirius's face.

"Maybe they want to scare the students from other countries. Maybe they were after Fleur," Ginny suggested.

"Wait a minute! Ginny has red hair, and they went after her first, mistaking her for someone else," Hermione said, as if a light bulb just went off over her head. "But she's not the only one close to Harry with red hair." Kim's expression darkened.

"But-but, hers is much lighter than mine!" Kim squeaked, sounding like she was trying to convince herself too.

Sirius pulled at his hair. "Damn it! These past two years have just been…Ah!" Sirius looked at Harry. "I hope your first two years at Hogwarts were good because this year isn't looking to good, Sport." Everyone looked at each other, wondering when it was time for Sirius to have the What He Missed 1991-1993 Talk. "What? Am I missing something here?"

"Er…It's kind of a long story." Harry smiled nervously while Sirius raised his eyebrows. "And you know what? I'd rather hear how Kim's going to be protected from those Death Eaters!" Remus's mouth twitched while Kim's eyes popped out of her head.

Sirius blinked. "Well, Hogwarts is safe, even from that other guy in your dream, but if she continues going to Hogsmeade again, I'm going to have to watch her the entire time."

Kim's eyes narrowed at Sirius, and she turned to Harry. "You know what they do in that bed, right?" As Harry jumped out of the bed in shock and horror, Sirius pretended to be distracted as a red faced Remus yelled that he washes the sheets, but he knew what Harry tried to do. So his godson's first two years at Hogwarts weren't happy and carefree? Sirius wondered how he was going to get the story when he looked out the window and saw an old drinking buddy heading for the Hog's Head. Hagrid! A few bottles of firewhiskey, and Sirius would have the full story by morning. Sirius laughed the classic maniacal Marauder laugh, earning himself a whack in the back of the head, since Remus thought he was laughing at Kim traumatizing Harry.

* * *

Kim was shaking with fear as she headed to the Defense room that night. Madame Pomfrey made her stop by the Hospital Wing to make sure she didn't have any neurological damage form the Cruciatus Curse. Once she was clear to go, Kim hurried off to dinner and ran into "Moody". He mumbled so no passing students would hear, "Go to my office at eight o'clock tonight. Make any excuse to make sure you aren't followed." At seven forty five, she told everyone that she had to talk to Madame Pomfrey about the explosive diarrhea she had ever since she was under the Cruciatus Curse. Their disgusted faces told her they wouldn't try to follow her.

She heard a voice holler, "In my office!" when she knocked on the door, and even though it wasn't Moody's voice, she still obeyed. Kim had tried to block the memory of the World Cup out, so she supposed it was the voice she heard that night.

He motioned to a chair in front of his desk for her to sit in. As she sat, Kim whispered, "Where's the real Mad-Eye?" She tried not to look at him.

The man laughed like he pulled the greatest prank ever. "It's a secret. And since I say that you don't tell secrets, I'll tell you that I've got him locked away in here in a deep chest. I'm sure that he'll start screaming once he realizes you're here." He smiled at her. "But that's not why I brought you here, Little Missy. I told the Dark Lord that I would serve him when his little fools failed." He licked his lips with anticipation. "So here's what you're going to do. Believe it or not, he wants Potter to win the Tournament." The only sign that Kim showed of her surprise was her right eye twitching slightly for a second. The man laughed once again. "I love a woman who can hide her emotions." Kim frowned. It was almost like he was flirting with her. "Anyway, what I you to do is shake up the competition a bit. Scare them, but don't let them know it's you. And then after some fun, to increase the chances for Mr. Potter's victory, I want you to kill one of the other champions."

Kim fidgeted in her seat. "I-I ca-can't…" She clearly had trouble even verbally trying to disagree. Barty raised his eyebrows. So she was trying to fight it?

"So I guess I am going to have to repeat myself yet again!" Barty leaned back in his chair, lazily pulling Moody's wand out of his pocket. "No matter! I suppose I'm going to have to do this for the big stuff. _Imperio._"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! That article about Ron was just me being silly! :) But I think that it is something that Kim would do. I know that Barty tortured the Longbottoms with the Lestranges, but Bellatrix doesn't like him because right now, Barty is in Voldemort's favor. I'm putting a poll up for who Harry should save in the Second Task. I normally wouldn't do that, but I just can't decide! Please R&R!**


	10. Preparing for the First Task

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: A day early since I'm starting college again tomorrow! Lucky you, unlucky me! I have to get up at 6:30 when I'm used to getting up at past noon, so I figured I'd be too sleepy to remember to update.**

Chapter 10

Harry just about to get started on his scrambled eggs, when IT happened. "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" The entire Hall went silent, causing Harry to sink a bit in his seat, not even looking at Sirius. He knew what this was about and wondered who told. Harry doubted it was Remus because if Remus wanted to tell, he would have long ago.

"Sirius! You could at least say hi to me too!" Kim pouted as Snape made his way over.

"You're trespassing, Black. You need permission to visit, and, since you don't have it, I am allowed to use force to escort you off the premises." Snape gripped his wand, just itching to stun, curse, hex, and jinx Sirius at the same time.

"Shut up, Snape! Three-headed dogs, trap doors, the Forbidden Forest, Voldemort TWICE, and a basilisk! I-I-I…What the Hell?" He pointed from Harry, to Hermione, and looked for Ron, who was on the other end of the table. "Explain! I'm not leaving until you do!" Sirius looked like he hadn't slept all night, and Harry wondered where Remus was.

"Perhaps, you would like to discuss this in my office, my dear boy?" Professor Dumbledore smiled at how Sirius's love for his godson was making him put himself in such a state.

Sirius turned around slowly to glare at the headmaster. "YOU!" Sirius advanced on him. "And where were you when all this happened? Sucking on lemon drops while my godson was fighting for his life?" Still smiling, Dumbledore stood up and headed to his office, Sirius angrily following him. Harry sighed and followed too, wondering when Sirius was going to get over this.

Sirius immediately stared pacing once he reached Dumbledore's office. "So this is why you change the subject every time I mention your first two years?" Sirius looked at his godson, hurt. "Why didn't you think I should know? Do you not trust me?"

"No!" Harry said immediately. "That's not it. I just…" He looked at the ground. "…didn't want to burden you." Sirius looked at him like he didn't understand. "You just worry about us so much, and I didn't want to make it worse by telling you something that you couldn't change."

"I think that was your problem those two years. You don't trust adults, so you didn't think to ask for help then or even talk to me about it now." Sirius smiled sadly when Harry opened his mouth to disagree. "I know, you trust me! But not with the past. I mean a basilisk! What if you were bitten?"

"Well, then, Fawkes saves the day." Harry grinned slightly at the bird who hooted happily.

"Wha—" Sirius paled. "No. Way." He sunk into a nearby seat and put his face in his hands. "Hagrid didn't mention that," he grumbled.

"Hagrid told you this?!" Harry asked in disbelief.

Sirius suddenly looked guilty. "Yeah, well, after I bought him a few drinks."

"How very Slytherin," Harry teased.

Throwing him a dirty look, Sirius asked, "Well, is there anything else you'd like to share? Did you get married and divorced while I was in Azkaban too?"

"The divorce _was_ rather nasty. My wife keeps bugging me for child support, but I'm not sure if the sprog's even mine." Harry grinned cheekily and then said hesitantly, "Ron and I aren't exactly speaking right now."

Sirius looked confused, but also understood that that was why Ron hadn't been with them at Hogsmeade or sitting with Harry today. "Why? Did you and Ginny do something that no brother should see?"

Harry blushed. "No! He thinks I entered the Tournament."

Sirius felt his face turn red with anger and took a few minutes to calm down. Ron was just a kid after all. Sirius wasn't too pleased with him, but Ron would have to make it up to Harry, not his godfather. "Sometimes friends argue over stupid things or do stupid things…" Sirius wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this. "Did you know I copied off of Remus's History of Magic essay once and didn't tell him?" Harry shook his head in the negative. "Well, me being a dumb fourth year like young Ronald, I copied word for word and got us both two months detention. Remus was furious of course. Not because of the detentions, but because I made Binns think he was a cheater. Then all the other teachers started separating us during tests. By then Remus wasn't talking to me, and I wasn't to him."

Harry frowned. "Why would you be mad at him?"

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't see what the big deal was."

"Hermione would have killed you…after she finished crying that is," Harry said, picturing what she would do if Ron did that to her.

"I don't think Moony cried." Sirius put his hand on his chin and looked up, trying to remember. "But his pranks were rather nasty. Wound up in the Hospital Wing three times. And one of those times I was completely bald! I didn't even have eyelashes!"

"So what you're saying is, I should pin Ron down and pluck every one of his eyelashes out?" Harry grinned, feeling a bit better about the Ron thing. If he didn't have Sirius, he would have felt really alone without Ron. "That sounds like a job for Kim."

"Speaking of the little devil, I'm assuming that the unicorn article was her way of avenging you?" Sirius and Remus had a good laugh reading that.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah." Suddenly, he looked worried. "That article about me wasn't true! Skeeter kind of forced me into interviewing and twisted everything I said! I hardly _said_ anything, actually."

Sirius snickered. "Yes, Remus was a bit worried about the '_his eyes glistened with tears of worry and fear at my mention of the full moon_'. I managed to convince him otherwise once I read '_Mr. Potter obviously thought of his godfather as a drunk, his eyes told all_'. What's up with Skeeter and your eyes? I think she has a thing for you."

"Gross."

* * *

Sirius was surprised to find Remus glaring at him when he returned to the shop. It wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, so most of the people in the shop were parents with small kids. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" Remus spoke in a hushed tone after a few moms stared. "You never came home last night after stopping by to see Hagrid. Hagrid at night on a Saturday almost always equals alcohol! I thought you promised to stop drinking heavily twelve years ago!" Remus hissed.

"I didn't drink all night. I just made Hagrid drink until he told me about Harry's first two years," Sirius said simply.

Remus stared at him for what felt like eternity, noting that Sirius didn't look hung over. "Oh well, at least you did nothing wrong!"

"I didn't! You know why? Because none of you will tell me a damn thing about the past unless forced to and even then you're reluctant! That was the problem thirteen years ago! When something was wrong, nobody said anything! Maybe if we did, I would've realized…it wasn't you." Hurt flickered across Remus's face.

"I just…don't want you to feel guilty about it. I think Harry feels the same way." Remus laughed without humor as all the mothers hurried their children out of the shop. They weren't really doing much for business.

"Yeah, well I'd rather feel guilty than feel like you guys are purposely keeping me in the dark." Sirius sighed. "I never got around to getting your Pensieve back."

Remus shrugged. "It's not going anywhere." He looked at the ground.

Sirius smiled a smile that only James Potter could mimic. It was a smile of pure evil. "We're storming the Ministry tomorrow."

* * *

Meanwhile at breakfast, as much as Kim hated it, she pranked Fleur to frighten her like the Death Eater said. It wasn't a funny prank either, and Kim hoped that Fleur wasn't really hurt. She started to scream a few minutes after Harry left with Sirius. Kim looked away as the Beauxbatons girls rushed over to her. Kim managed to convince the house elves to let her prepare the eggs with black truffles for the part of the Ravenclaw table that the Beauxbatons girls ate at. Even if Fleur wasn't the student to eat it, it would have freaked her out to know what had happened at her table. Just like that man wanted. So she wouldn't be caught, Kim oblivated the house elves. She had put glass in the eggs.

Bravely and shamefully, Kim looked over at Fleur. The Beauxbatons champion had cut her tongue and blood was leaking from out of her mouth. Kim shivered as Madam Pomfrey rushed over, yelling at everyone not to touch their food until they knew what happened. Kim raised her eyebrows despite her ill feelings. Smart woman.

Ron's mouth fell open in disbelief. "I don't understand. Who would want to hurt _her_?"

Kim looked over to where her DADA professor was sitting, barely concealing his smirk, and spoke to Ron in a nonthreatening way for the first time in weeks. "I don't know," she whispered sadly.

* * *

While Sirius and Remus were planning to 'storm the Ministry', Harry had been asked by Hagrid to meet him. At first, Harry didn't even see the dragons, making him feel stupid once he did. He spotted Kim talking to Lee and Charlie first, speaking so fast that it even seemed to freak Lee out. Lee was actually the one to contact him. Hagrid would have, Lee had said, but he had wanted to say hello and made a bit of a scene in the common room when Lavender Brown asked who he was, and he said Harry Potter's gay friend. Lavender got a look on her face that said she was about to tell the whole school that Harry had a boyfriend, but Lee recognized it and said that he was dating Ron's older brother. Lavender squealed and ran with lightning speed out of the Tower and into the halls to spread gossip. Harry laughed silently at the memory.

Kim quickly got Charlie and Lee in trouble because after a minute, and Harry saw an older man yell at them to quit flirting and help out with the dragons. Harry felt his heart speed up. The dragons looked extremely cranky, and he could only guess why they were here. Once they were forced to get back to work, Kim skipped over to Hagrid. "I name the giant black one Big Mama, the green one Grape, the red one Mushroom Pizza, and the silvery-blue one Tuna, 'cause of the color." She rolled her eyes. "That's the only one Charlie didn't understand." Harry looked over at the red one, who had a mushroom shaped face and smiled. His smile faded away however, when Kim squinted at him. Could she see him? He supposed not, since she didn't say anything. Kim had snuck out herself and wouldn't understand why Harry was hiding. She obviously hadn't gotten in trouble.

"Ain't they beautiful?" Hagrid asked. Kim nodded while Madame Maxime smiled gratefully at Hagrid. Harry supposed that Fleur would know what the first task was too.

"Hagrid? Are you on a _date_?" Kim asked back. Harry never thought he'd see the day when Hagrid blushed.

Hagrid was just about to answer bashfully when flames were shot right over his head. They quickly retreated farther away, and Harry figured out that Kim couldn't see him since she ran right into him. "Ow! There must be invisible beasts out here, Hagrid! I demand to learn about them next class!"

After the dragons were stunned, Lee and Charlie returned, allowing Hagrid to ask, "What breeds ye got there Charlie?"

Kim held up her hand at Charlie, who shook his head with an amused look. "Grape—she's my favorite—is a Common Welsh Green, Big Mama is a Hungarian Horntail, Mushroom Pizza is a Chinese Fireball (but she's never had Chinese food, according to Charlie), and Tuna is a Swedish Short-Snout," Kim said proudly because she remembered what each breed was.

"She?" Hagrid wondered, fishing for answers. "I suppose there's one for each champion?"

Charlie nodded. "They brought nesting mothers, for some reason."

Kim bounced up and down. "Maybe they will have to steal an egg! Big Mama isn't going to give hers up that easily!"

Lee chuckled. "Big Mama is the nastiest of them all. I think I'd need a diaper stealing one of her eggs." Charlie bit his lip to keep from laughing at his crude comment.

"Lee wore diapers until he was three and a half!" Kim yelled childishly while Lee turned red. Harry decided to make his exited when they started bickering. He would have slammed right into Karkaroff, if the distant roar of what Kim would later tell him was Grape hadn't stopped them both in their tracks. So Krum would learn of the task too? Harry sighed, realizing that Cedric might be the only one in the dark. Should he tell him? Harry looked at the castle where Cedric was probably awake wondering what he would be facing in the next couple of days. Why not? It's not like he cared who won anyway. Harry just wanted to make it out alive and have as little publicity as possible.

Hedwig was waiting for him with a letter over his bed when he got back. Recognizing Sirius's handwriting, Harry seized the letter and tossed Hedwig an owl treat to make up for it. Ron gave a loud snore in the background, telling Harry that he was faking being asleep.

_Harry,_

_Remus and I are coming over in the afternoon tomorrow to talk about the first task. We'll be getting our Pensieve back so I think I figured out what we're doing on Christmas! Remus wants you to know that you should be reading as many books as possible for the first task. For once I agree. Don't be surprised if a red head wakes you up early tomorrow to teach you gymnastics. Here's a hint, it won't be Ron! Oh wait… Remus said it would be wrong to mention Ron right now, so it won't be Ginny! I know, I know. You'll be disappointed._

_See you tomorrow! –Sirius-_

Harry found himself blushing at the end of that letter. Was it that obvious that he had a crush on Ginny? Quickly, he got dressed and went to bed, knowing that they only way that Kim would get up early on a Monday would be if she didn't sleep at all the night before. He'd be lucky to get six hours of sleep tonight.

* * *

At five o'clock in the morning, Harry felt ice cubes being chucked at his head and couldn't help but groan. He buried his head on the pillowing and soon regretted it. "Omf! Wh-What the Hell?" Harry turned over as best he could and cracked one eye open to see his sister peering at him with sugar crazed eyes. She had pounced on top of him and her face was inches away. "Ah! Shouldn't you feel weird about jumping into my bed?"

"Yeah. But I don't." Kim giggled cheerfully, causing Harry to wonder how much candy the house elves had given her.

"Alright! Alright! I give up. Cartwheeling away from danger! I know. It'll give the Slytherins something else to mock me about," Harry grumbled bitterly.

"Well, I'll just punch some more faces and get more detentions!" Harry rolled his eyes. It was too early for this. It was too early for anything, actually.

After getting dressed, Harry stumbled down into the Common Room to find Kim jumping from couch to couch throwing _Potter Stinks_ buttons in the air and punching them across the room. Harry yawned. Kim spun around. "You can't play in jeans! Change into sweat pants." Scowling, Harry headed back up stairs.

Outside in the freezing cold, Harry found himself falling flat on his face as Kim taught him how to do cartwheels, one handed cartwheels, backbends, how to make himself fall, and how to tumble. He drew the line at the no handed cartwheel because that just seemed impossible. Falling on the cold, hard ground, Harry gasped, "Why would people do this for fun?"

Kim put her hands on her hips. "Because it's fun!" Harry rolled his eyes as she flopped down next to him. She put her hands behind her head. "Do this." And then she pushed her hands and her feet up into a backbend. "And this." She smiled at him from upset down as she turned her backbend into a handstand, and Harry tried to but again, fell flat on his back.

Harry stood up and saw Cedric talking to somebody, ignoring Kim whining for more practice since classes would be starting soon. Cedric was the only one who didn't know about the dragons. Harry started walking towards him, knowing that if Cedric wanted to he could call him out on cheating. However, somehow Harry knew that he wouldn't. He turned to Kim as he saw that Cedric was talking to a friend with a _Potter Stinks _Badge. "Distract Cedric's friend. I'll only be a few minutes." Giving him a curious look, Kim suddenly adopted an evil glint in her eyes and ran up to steal Cedric's friend's scarf, choking him at first and then unraveling it. She ran away shrieking as Cedric's friend chased after her. Harry grabbed Cedric's arm before he could join in on the chase. "Wait a minute. There's something I've got to tell you."

* * *

Sirius felt determined as he dragged a reluctant Remus with him to get his Pensieve back. Remus always hated dealing with the Ministry, and Sirius didn't blame him. They always treated Remus as if he were an animal that deserved to be put down and didn't have human feelings. Still, Sirius wouldn't let them get away with this. That Pensieve was important to the both of them, making Sirius wonder why Remus didn't tell him what happened to it in the first place. _Because he didn't want you to know how bad things got._ Sirius sighed. He needed to know how bad things were before he could try to make them better.

Knocking nonstop on the door of the Ministry's very own Senior Under-Secretary, Sirius plastered a fake grin on his face when the fat toad answered. "Dolores! Long time no see!" Sirius went as far as to even hug the somewhat startled woman, leaving Remus to wonder what trick he had up his sleeve.

"Sirius Black!" Umbridge tried to remain cheerful. "It has been a while. Has one of your _children_ been bitten? That's a lot of paperwork."

Sirius roared with laughter as Umbridge moved to shut the door behind him. Once the door was firmly shut, he stopped immediately. "Now you listen here you little bitch." Umbridge froze. It wasn't every day that someone talked to the Senior Under-Secretary like that. "You are going to give Remus back everything you confiscated, without making him pay any fines or serve any time in Azkaban."

Umbridge gave him a sickly smile. "And why, Mr. Black, would I do that?"

"I am sooo glad you asked." Sirius took out a piece of paper. "1976, at the baby shower of Mrs. Mary Powers Pendragon, you brought a date, so Russell Pendragon and his brother would have someone to talk to. Antonin Dolohov." Umbridge paled. "1978, another baby shower and yet another date. Things were going great for the two of you, weren't they? But then 1981 came along, and the shit hit the fan." Sirius's smile widened. "Need I go on? I'm sure Fudge would love to hear about this. The price on Dolohov's head has gone up to fifteen thousand since the little skirmish in Hogsmeade."

Turning a sickly green color, Umbridge said hoarsely, "He has a small vault down the hall. They all do." She gulped. "Follow me."

Eager to get them out, Umbridge ran as fast as her short, plump legs could carry her and didn't even bother to greet those who said hello to her in passing. She quickly ushered them into a room with about a thousand small vaults. Remus shut the door behind him, looking sadly at all the names. They walked about half way down when Umbridge stopped at Lupin, R. She tapped her wand and a tiny, cardboard box floated out. "Engorge it at home. Now get out before I change my mind."

"Of course, Dolores! As always, it has been the most pleasurable experience at the Ministry!" Sirius said merrily. He handed the box to Remus, who quietly put it in his pocket. As they left, Dolores scurried in the opposite direction. _Writing to Dolohov, no doubt._

"How on earth did you know that?" Sirius chuckled to himself at Remus's astonished look. It wasn't everyday he could surprise Moony.

"Sylvia may have mentioned it while I was sniffing for dirt. She saw it in the family albums and remembered Dolohov from the wanted posters." Sirius smirked at Umbridge's retreating figure. "I thought that someone like her had to have some dark secrets. I was fishing around forever when Sylvia came into to Dumbledore's office to tell him. It happened to be the day I was telling him about Harry's dream. Lucky, wasn't it?"

Remus could only stare. "I, well, suppose." Sirius laughed in a very dog-like manner as they took the Ministry's floonetwork to Hogwarts.

Only Kim could be found dozing on the sofa in Gryffindor Tower when Sirius and Remus arrived around lunch time. Quickly, she sat up and looked around. Eyes glassy, she mumbled, "I hope you face Grape 'Arry." Then she flopped back down and went back to sleep.

Trying to hold in his laughter so he wouldn't spoil the fun by waking her at that moment, Sirius speed-walked to the back of the couch and started kicking it. He did his best to imitate Moody. "Up! Up, lassie! For all you know a Death Eater could have snuck in to kill you!"  
What he didn't expect was Kim to jump up screaming and point a knife at his face. With a girlish squeal that he would later deny, Sirius backed away as far as possible. Kim blinked at him. "Oh. It's you." She rubbed at her eyes with her fist. Remus cringed at the fact that the small dagger was still in one of them. "I thought you were actually him."

"So you try to stab him in the face?!" Sirius yelled, voice still high pitched.

Kim's expression became guarded. "Well…um, no…but I would have impressed him, or something." She pocketed the knife. "It's not like it's a big knife or anything."

"You lie worse than James and Harry combine," Remus stated.

Kim shrugged. "I can lie good when it matters."

Remus sighed, knowing she wasn't going to say anything else. "Where's Harry?"

"He was talking to Cedric while I was stealing a scarf, and then Moody took him." Kim's fists clenched at the word 'Moody'.

Sirius scowled. "Cedric wasn't messing with him, was he?'

"No! Harry wanted to talk to him so I stole his friend's scarf, and then I discovered he was a prefect, so I got a detention, but I still wouldn't let go of the scarf, so he kept giving me more detentions…" Kim paused and took a deep breath. "And then Cedric came back and said that Moody had to talk to Harry, so I gave the scarf back and headed up here, but everyone was at lunch, so I fell asleep, and then you scared me!" She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"And you almost stabbed me in the face!" Sirius shot back.

Before the bickering could start, Remus asked, "Any idea why Mad-Eye wanted to talk to him?"

Kim tilted her head to the side. "Didn't Harry tell you about Big Mama, Grape, Mushroom Pizza, and Tuna?" They both shook their heads no. "Well, Harry's going to have to fight one of them for the first task on Tuesday, and he was telling Cedric when Moody came along."

Sirius frowned. "I don't think that the Triwizard Tournament would be such a difficult and dangerous competition if the contestants only had to fight a large woman who had experience with children, a fruit, a pizza with vegetables, or a fish."

"Oh no!" Kim giggled. "First of all, it's the Quadwizard Tournament, and second of all that's just their names. They're dragons." Then she stopped laughing. "But no one's allowed to know, so shhhhhhhh!" She brought her index finger to her lips.

"You hear that Remus? Dragons!" Sirius smiled while Remus looked at him worriedly. Harry just walked in the Common Room as Sirius fainted.

Kim attempted to go back to sleep as Remus levitated Sirius on to the couch across from her. "I'm guessing you just told him."

Kim nodded happily. "Yup. That's what he gets for scaring me."

Harry smiled weakly. "I was actually looking for Hermione, but I guess she'll be up here once lunch is over." He looked over at Remus. "I have an idea of what I'm going to do, but I need Hermione's help. Figures the one thing I need to do is the charm I'm currently struggling with."

"I may have taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I know a few things about Charms too. I'll help you before reviving Padfoot. Hermione can help you when we leave for the shop." Remus took out his wand. "What charm is it?" Remus honestly had no idea what kind of charm could be used against a dragon.

"A summoning charm," Harry said with determination.

Remus smiled. "I suppose it would ruin the fun to ask what you plan to summon?" Harry shrugged shyly, not wanting to be laughed at for his plan.

Remus and Harry practiced all the way until dinner, heading to an empty classroom once students returned. Hermione joined them shortly after Arthimancy and prattled on about the theory of the summoning charm to try to help Harry get past his block for it. By dinner, Harry could make buttons zoom through the air and into his hand. Two hours before, when Sirius became conscious again and forced Kim to help look for him, Harry could make the buttons come towards him, but not _to_ him. The button hit Sirius right in the face, and he fell to the ground. Luckily, he was only unconscious for a few seconds this time. "Dragons! Dragons, Harry! You're going to be facing dragons in two days, and you're playing with buttons with Remus and Hermione!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I have a plan, Sirius. _Accio!_" This time the button flew right above his own head. "You don't have to worry about me all the time, you know."

Sirius sunk into a dusty old desk. "Well, at least you have a plan. Harry Potter, the boy who killed a dragon with buttons."

"Maybe he's gonna summon a sword or a tasty snack to distract her or a handsome man dragon or…" Kim frowned. "I'm not creative enough to think of anything else." She shrugged in defeat and sat down next to Sirius, watching Harry for the rest of the lesson.

* * *

Harry practiced well into the night for the next two days before the first task. Hermione was coaching him all the way while Kim brought them coffee and donuts from the kitchens to help them stay up past what was usually two in the morning. Harry was starting to wonder if she ever slept. He slowly started to summon larger things, hoping that his Firebolt would be able to be summoned from such a distance. So far, he managed to summon one of the Common Room chairs into the Boy's Dormitory. Ron gave him a curious look, but said nothing.

Another thing to worry about, on Monday when Cedric Diggory entered Potions Class, the cauldron exploded in his face before he could even so much as light the burner underneath. Professor Snape saw the whole thing and couldn't try to blame him for it. Cedric was fine, but had some nasty burns on his face and small scars from where chunks of cauldron had lodged itself into. Madame Pomfrey gave him something to make the scars go away in a few weeks.

Still, the whole school wouldn't stop talking about it. What happened to Fleur seemed like a freak accident, but so did what happened to Cedric. However, the both of them in such a short amount of time sparked suspicion that Professor Moody only increased with his usual paranoia. Everyone thought someone was targeting the champions. The only question was why? They were facing enough danger as it was. People watched Harry and Krum like they were going to be ambushed any minute.

* * *

Kim woke up the day of the first task feeling like she hadn't slept in days, which was sort of true. She felt Hermione shake her. "Come on! Harry's going to want you to be there for him. I won't have you late!" Trying to rub the burning feeling from her eyes, Kim decided that a shower was the best course of action. Hermione was telling her to hurry up the entire time she was getting ready, and Kim was not so pleased to find out that Hermione was so used to her expletives that they did not make her go away with hurt feelings.

Everyone else was already down at breakfast when Theo caught up to the two of them, and Kim was grateful that Hermione at least tried to smile at him. "Are you sitting with us today? Or is your Dad here?"

Theo shifted uncomfortably. "No, no. He's coming to the second task though. I was just wondering if we could sit together…alone?"

Kim blinked at him. "Nope. Not happening, Babe. Why?"

"Because I don't feel entirely comfortable sitting with a…you know." He looked at the ground.

Kim narrowed her eyes. "No. I don't know. And unless you're going to say an overprotective Sirius Black, I'm going to flip the fuck out."

He stood up straight. "A werewolf." Hermione decided now was the time to make a graceful exit to the Great Hall.

Kim smiled brightly and said condescendingly, "Well, I can see that the discrimination is at an all-time high today Theodore, so I'm going to let you have a time out and sit by yourself today. Maybe next time you will learn the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated." She turned and opened one of the doors to the Great Hall, Theo following closely behind her.

"Don't talk to me like that!" he hissed.

Kim spun around. "Stay the Hell away from me today, Theo. I'm not in the mood for you bullshit today. Believe it or not, I care about other people besides you and am not going to do whatever you say."

"I said don't talk to me like that, BITCH!" He was shouting by then and had grabbed her arm tightly, causing quite a few heads to turn. Theo blushed when he saw the surprised look on Remus's face and paled when he saw Sirius's furious one. They were sitting with Harry at the Gryffindor table.

"AND I SAID TO STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME, ASSHOLE!" Kim jerked her arm out of his grasp and punched him in the nose. Theo felt the blood pouring out before he felt the pain. As Madame Pomfrey hurried him to the Hospital Wing, Theo distantly heard Professor Snape screaming Kim's punishment, detention for a month and possible suspension. Theo already wondered how he was going to make it up to her.

Ignoring Snape and smiling at Ron as he poured her milk and sulked back to the other side of the table, Kim set about making her breakfast until Ginny said, "I wonder if you broke his nose." Harry grinned but pretended to be completely focused on his cereal.

"I heard a crunch." Kim piled grapes onto her plate. "I hope you get Grape today. I'll eat these for good luck."

"Thanks. I'll remember that as I'm being roasted," Harry said with false cheer. Sirius made a strange noise that was between a grunt and a whimper, making Kim wonder who was more nervous, Harry or Sirius.

Kim shook her head. "You'll live! I know it!"

Wanting to change the subject, Harry asked, "So is there any particular reason why you and Nott were flipping out on each other?" Ginny smirked at the memory.

Kim threw her hands up in the air. "_Because_ I…" She paused, not wanting to hurt Remus's feelings. "He's a poopy face."

"Knew that from the start!" Ginny said in a sing song voice.

"You know…" Remus looked at Kim, torn between disappointment and worry. "We've been getting more disciplinary letters about you being violent than the letters you send."

Kim frowned, trying to remember the last time she wrote. "I can't help it. I'm bad." Remus stared, knowing that something else was wrong.

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall interrupted, trying to sound stern and cover up her anxiety at the same time. "It's time." Harry stood up shakily and followed her.

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius said solemnly, "I guess we better go find seats."

On their way to the stadium, they were stopped by none other than Rita Skeeter. She ran up to them and her cameraman quickly took a picture with a blinding flash. Thinking Kim would be the most willing to speak to her after the unicorn story, Skeeter asked, "Miss Potter? Do you have any comments on the relationship between Hermione Granger and your brother? Do you approve? Disapprove? Do you think there's anyone else better suited to be in a romantic relationship with the Boy Who Lived?"

Hermione opened her mouth to vehemently deny that she and Harry were together, but Kim turned to Hermione and gave her a long scrutinizing look. "I'd do her," was all she said before she walked away to find a seat. Hermione turned blood red as Skeeter squealed with the possibilities of all the stories she could write from that one small, simple sentence.

Theo was grateful that Blaise allowed him to sit with him, his mother, and Pansy. No matter how much he messed up, Blaise was always willing to let Theo hang out with him. He didn't know why he had a problem with Lupin. He just read all those articles that Skeeter wrote and thought that if Potter had reason to fear him that Kim shouldn't be around the wolf. _But that article about Weasley was a load of crap._ Theo shook his head, not knowing what to think anymore. Werewolves were always what parents used to scare their children into going to bed at night. They were always in the news (not the front page, but still in the paper) when they bit a child. But still, Lupin was always willing to stay in the classroom during lunch to help him out if he was struggling with something, and he even yelled at Black for laughing at him when Theo messed up a spell in class, tripped over the creature he was fighting, and fell flat on his face. Lupin was kind, but werewolves were dark creatures, so did that make Lupin good or bad? If he was bad, then Kim (and everybody else) should be as far away from him as possible. If not, then Kim was right, and Theo was an asshole.

"Is your father coming?" Mrs. Zabini asked sweetly, breaking Theo from his thoughts. Blaise shot her an annoyed look. "What? He's a very nice man! Much better than the scum I've been seeing lately." Theo could tell that Blaise was also thinking, _and he's an old man too_. Still, Theo said nothing to that, since Blaise was polite enough not to say it, and it was true too.

"He's coming to the next task," Theo said shyly, never really having spoken to Blaise's mum before. "He was busy with work today."

Blaise frowned at his mother. "If you date my friend's dad, it's going to be awkward when you dump him." Theo smiled at the fact that Blaise considered him a friend.

Mrs. Zabini beamed when Pansy defended her. "And if it does work out, you'll feel like an idiot for trying to step in between your mom and her happiness!" Blaise rolled his eyes. Women. There was no understanding them. His mum went through men like Vince went through donuts, and Pansy thought it was perfectly fine for her to start a relationship with Mr. Nott! Blaise just didn't want Theo to be angry with him when his mum stomps all over his dad's heart.

Suddenly an alarm sounded and a few minutes later, a very frazzled Ludo Bagman announced, "Ladies and Gentleman! Thank you for attending the first Triwizard Tournament in over two hundred years!" He stopped and positively shined as the crowd applauded. "Now, without further ado! The First Task!"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! PLEASE participate in my poll! I don't see Theo as the bad guy. I think he just isn't as open-minded as the rest of the gang and wasn't sure what to think of Remus being a werewolf. He hasn't said anything before because he never had to. He didn't know that Remus would be in Hogsmeade, and he and Kim do more kissing than talking. I'm not really sure what to compare it to, but if I thought someone I loved was spending a lot of time with someone I considered evil, I would be pretty worried too. Anyway, thank you to all that reviewed, favorited, followed, liked, you know, the works! :) Please R&R! **


	11. Tasks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: I may have kept Harry's strategy for the first task the same, but I didn't for the rest of them. I kept their mistakes the same, but not what they did.**

Chapter 11

Most of the spectators surrounding Kim were a bit confused when the first dragon was hulled out and she yelled, "It's Tuna!" But a lot of them knew who she was and considered this typical behavior. All of Hogwarts started cheering once Cedric stepped out, and the stadium was so big that no one could see the nervousness plastered on the champion's face or the fact that he flinched when the Swedish Short-Snout roared at the sight of him so close to her eggs.

After what seemed to be a five minute stare down between Cedric and the beast, he whipped out his wand and bellowed, "_Procella!_"

He smiled with relief as the storm cloud appeared above the dragon's head, listening to the crowd's excitement as they wondered what he was doing. The storm cloud soon started emitting lighting and thunder, distracting the dragon as he sprinted for the egg. It would have worked to if he hadn't tripped over that rock and foolishly gasped out in pain.

The Swedish Short-Snout froze and slowly turned its gaze over to him. Cedric swore. He was only a few yards away. The dragon leaned out of the cloud and shook its head, drenching the audience.

Trying to distract the dragon yet again, Cedric levitated boulders at it, summoning all his magical strength to use the ones that were bigger than his head while at the same time sprinting for the golden egg. He could see it gleaming in the distance. Grinning, Cedric bent to pick it up when he felt a gush of heat heading his way. He looked up just as the dragon burned his arm and couldn't help but scream. Wanting to make his dad proud, Cedric picked up the egg anyway, just as the dragon trainers were coming to calm the beast, and ignored the pain. He switched the egg into his other arm and held it up, smiling not the most confident smile, but smiling none the less.

Cedric swayed a bit as the judges prepared to give him his score. The burn was nasty, and he knew that he didn't do the best, but the burn hurt so bad that Cedric didn't really care at the moment and promised himself that he would do better next time.

Madame Maxime voted first. She lifted her wand up and shot out a glittery seven in the air. Cedric was surprised when she smiled at him, and then he noticed that all of the judges except her were drenched by his rain cloud. He weakly smiled back.

Next, Mr. Crouch boring as ever, shot a simple black six in the air. He looked at Cedric as if he were a note on his desk about a business meeting. Crouch took out a handkerchief and gently mopped his face, sat back down and looked impatiently at Bagman, who waved to the crowd and quickly gave Cedric an eight.

Dumbledore shook the water off his hat good naturedly and withdrew his wand, looking at Cedric with concern and gesturing over to Professor Sprout. She rushed over with a paste that made his burn cool. Cedric sighed with relief, glad that someone remembered he was in agony. Once Dumbledore saw the Cedric was attended to, he used his wand to make an eight that was glittery much like Madame Maxime, but the sparkles were Hufflepuff's colors of yellow and black.

Last and certainly least for anyone who wasn't Krum, Karkaroff used his wand to cast a simple three. A lot of Hogwarts students cried out at the injustice, causing Karkaroff to roll his eyes. Cedric couldn't help but shake the feeling that Krum would be ashamed. He didn't want to seem arrogant, but Cedric thought he at least deserved a five. He got the egg and didn't harm any of the others.

Fleur was up next and could distantly hear someone in the background yelling about grapes. She smirked. Hogwarts students were odd to say the least. She took the time to look through the crowd before the Common Welsh Green figured out that she was a threat. Fleur spotted Gabrielle and felt some of her anxiety fade away. Her sister was always a bright spot when things looked bleak. Fleur had many friends who couldn't stand their little sisters, but Fleur loved her sister from the moment she was born. They squabbled over silly things here and there, but Fleur loved having someone who looked up to her and who always wanted to hang out with her. She always wanted to make Gabrielle proud.

Madame Maxime told her about the dragons ahead of time, and Fleur worried that she would be so prepared that people would know that she had cheated. The spell she was going to use was clearly researched, but Madame Maxime said that if anyone asked that she could tell them about her aunt, who worked with the French Ministry to preserve magical creatures. Fleur supposed it would work, since the spell could be used with other animals too in different variations. And so, with more confidence than Fleur knew she had, she pointed her wand at herself and yelled out, "_Odor fetura draconis!_"

Nobody could see it, but she now smelled like a baby dragon. The mother dragon stared at her for a moment, probably thinking that Fleur was the ugliest baby she had ever seen. Fleur smiled and crawled over to the nest, hearing the gasps from the audience as the dragon came close to her to get a better whiff. Fleur froze, wondering what a baby dragon would do in such a situation. Deciding to act like her puppy back home whenever she came near, Fleur rolled over, showing her tummy to show the dragon that she trusted her and wanted love and affection. It worked, and Fleur almost giggled as the Common Welsh Green nuzzled her and licked her with its slimy, scaly tongue. But then it did something unexpected. Something that her aunt would later tell her in a letter meant the dragon thought she was too cold. The Common Welsh Green took a deep breath and gently lit Fleur's skirt on fire. Fleur jumped up, yelled, and quickly cast "_Aguamenti_!" on her skirt. The dragon looked at her curiously. This must be strange behavior for a baby. Suddenly, the dragon's eyes widened. The jig was up!

Quickly, Fleur cast "_Odor fetura draconis!_" in every direction, making the poor dragon look everywhere for the nonexistent babies. Finally, she settled on Madame Maxime who was the biggest living thing hit and tried to protect its new baby from this strange imposter. Madame Maxime stood perfectly still while being sniffed from head to foot by the dragon. Fleur wondered if she was going to get detention later on.

Realizing that her eggs were unprotected, the Common Welsh Green thundered over to her nest, but it was too late. Fleur held up the egg and was far away from the beast. She was mad that Fleur was in her nest, but when she got there, all she could smell was baby, so she wasn't really sure if Fleur was there to begin with. The dragon was still sniffing at her nest as the trainers surrounded her to drag her away.

Fleur looked apprehensively at all the judges, ignoring the voice in her head that wondered if they would give her all zeros. Madame Maxime looked torn between annoyance and pride as she gave her pupil a glittery eight. Crouch gave her a seven while Ludo also gave her a nine. Dumbledore gave her an eight made out of flames while Karkaroff gave her a four. The crowd booed, and Fleur raised her eyebrows. Didn't the guy feel weird about giving her a score so much lower than what everyone else gave her?

Viktor stepped into the stadium, looking as closed off as ever. He had hoped if he seemed cold and unemotional that the girls would stay away. Normally, Viktor relished in attention from girls, but that was until he saw _her_. She didn't gush over him like the rest. She read books, not magazines but actual books. She looked at him as she would look at any other boy and even looked annoyed at him for bringing his fan club into the library. She was different, and Viktor couldn't stop thinking about her. Still, for some reason cold and unemotional seemed to make the girls even more attracted to him. He had written to his mother, who said that they thought that they would get close to him to see as side of him that nobody else saw. Viktor laughed at the letter, surprising those around him who were used to his sulking. His father was right. Girls were another species entirely.

Like the others before him, Viktor stared the dragon down before starting to fight it but not because of nervousness. He wanted it to attack first. The Chinese Fireball roared so loudly that many audience members covered their ears, but Viktor just stood there, ignoring its warning and hoping the trainers didn't rush in before he could enact his plan. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the dragon took a deep breath, causing its mushroom face to swell and glow from the flames. Viktor glared at the dragon trainers as they took a step forward, silently telling them that he had a plan. Just before the flames reached him, Viktor cast, "_Glacius!_" The triumph was clear on his face as the flames quickly froze all the way up to the creature's tongue, giving Viktor a clear path to its head.

Before the dragon could succeed in shaking away the ice path, Viktor ran as fast as he could and jumped on its head, holding the top for dear life just as it started to thrash around wildly. In the distance, he heard the smashing of a few eggs, and the Chinese Fireball seemed to wail with devastation. Viktor felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't like she asked to be here.

"_Stupefy!_" Viktor hit the beast in the head with the charm several times, since he read somewhere that that was the dragon's weakest point. He closed his eyes as the dragon started to fall, glad that he wasn't falling into the stadium or into the rest of the eggs. The ground shook as it landed, but Viktor remained unharmed, except for feeling a bit jarred from the hard fall. He still for a moment after getting off the dragon, making sure that he regained his balance before calmly walking to the egg. He picked it up and showed it to the crowd, blushing at all the screaming girls.

Viktor grinned at the judges. He felt confident since he didn't get hurt and figured that this was the best he could do so he deserved whatever score he got. The eggs were a mistake, but Viktor never said he was perfect. Madame Maxime used her wand to conjure a black ribbon that formed a seven. She glared at the smashed eggs, not pleased at the death of the unborn hatchlings, but nodded her head at him in respect. Both Bagman and Crouch gave him a seven as well. Dumbledore smiled encouragingly at him and gave him a nine. With a smug look on his face, Karkaroff gave him a perfect ten. The groans from the other schools confirmed what Viktor suspected. His headmaster was a cheat.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats when Harry entered the stadium. Still, he wasted no time and bellowed, "_Accio Firebolt!"_ As he was waiting patiently and wondering what he was going to do if the spell didn't work, Harry looked up at the Hungarian Horntail, who was eying him like Dudley eyed the last piece of bacon. She didn't give him a stare down like the rest. She wasn't going to take that risk, not when it came to her eggs. The Hungarian Horntail swatted at him, but Harry expected it after years of Harry Hunting and tumbled away. He could just imagine the smug look on Kim's face as he ran, wondering if the dragon would chase him or guard her eggs. The hot breath puffs that he felt on his back gave him the answer. Harry turned around slowly. The dragon didn't actually leave its nest. She was so big that she stretched her neck out so she was right behind him but still at her nest at the same time. He would never forget those yellow eyes staring down at him, ready for the kill.

And then he heard the whooshing noise and hoped with all his might that it was the Firebolt. If not, then he was done for. But it was! Harry laughed out in relief as it soared right into his hands, mounted the broom, and ascended high in the air. Now, all he had to do was somehow get the dragon away from her nest, taunt her enough so that she would leave it instead of breathing fire at him. Harry zoomed right past her, looking back to see flames just centimeters from where he had just been. It was best to get her angry first; then she would chase him.

He circled her head for a few minutes, flying a bit higher as he went along and hoping that she was getting dizzy. The Hungarian Horntail roared once he was too high to reach and started shooting flames, but Harry still flew higher and dodged the flames as he went along. Once she decided to fly up with him, Harry heard the crowd shriek as the ground shook with the force of her kicking her legs up to chase after him. As she flew up to meet his eye level, Harry dived faster than he ever did before, but she still managed to swat at his shoulder. Harry felt his shoulder come out of its socket but kept flying. If he stopped now, he would be toast. He was moving so fast that the wind burned his face, but he could still see it getting closer and closer. The golden egg. He reached out and snatched it of the ground, flying in the opposite direction. The dragon snarled loudly, and for a moment, Harry felt bad for her. She must think he was stealing one of her children to eat.

The trainers quickly took her away to settle her down, and for the first time Harry really took notice of everyone else surrounding him as he dismounted from his broom. He looked over at the judges table to see Sirius arguing with Bagman and wondered if he should be embarrassed. He could only assume it was because of his shoulder, which hurt like hell, and Harry was sure that it was swelling. Sure enough, after a few minutes, Bagman shouted to the crowd, "It seems that Harry Potter will have to have his shoulder fixed up before the scores can be read! However, let's hear it for our youngest champion! He finished the fastest out of them all!" Harry blushed after the crowd started cheering.

Harry was quickly ushered by Professor McGonagall to a tent outside the stadium that was near the one where he had been waiting to face the dragon. She beamed at him. "Before Black can start his fussing, I want you to know that I am very proud of you, Harry." Harry smiled and felt like he was soaring in the air on his Firebolt once again; knowing that even the smallest amount of praise from McGonagall was a lot.

Sirius was pacing in the tent by the time Harry arrived, making him wonder how his godfather got there so fast. Remus, Ginny, Kim, and Hermione were in the room too but were making much less of a scene than Sirius was. Kim was sitting on one of the beds next to where Cedric was and was kicking her feet off the edges. "Sirius cried when you got swatted at!" she said happily.

"Did not!" Sirius countered. Harry knew he probably didn't cry but mostly likely screamed.

"Did too! I thought you were going to pass out and faint like those girls in the old movies!" She put a hand over her head and pretended to faint, reminding Harry of Malfoy when he made fun of him their first day of classes last year.

Madame Pomfrey ran from Cedric's bed over to Harry, looking at his shoulder with a trained eye. "Lucky. It appears to be dislocated and not broken. Do you mind if I cut away the sleeve? I think you have a cut." She rolled her eyes at Sirius, who indeed looked like he was about to faint. "A _shallow _cut, hardly any blood. I swear Mr. Black. You've been in the Hospital Wing for much worse! Remember when you tried to illegally apparate in Hogsmeade when you were thirteen and splinched both your arms and legs?"

Sirius looked at the ground as Harry consented to having his shirt cut open. "James dared me to."

"Well the point is this: kids get hurt. You can't always stop it. Try to too much, and you'll smother them. But honestly, dragons! Why they keep bringing things like this to the school I will never know." Madame Pomfrey waved her wand and cut off Harry's sleeve. She tutted at three angry red marks that were hardly even bleeding. "If that broom wasn't as fast as it was your arm could've been ripped off!" Pomfrey summoned a green paste. "I'll heal these before I relocate your shoulder." Harry winced at the sting of the paste, but when he looked down, the cuts were gone. "Now. I'm going to do this quick so the pain will be at a minimum." Harry was just about to ask her to tell him when so he could prepare himself when Madame Pomfrey waved her wand and relocated his shoulder. It was over before he even processed what happened. "Be easy on it for the next week or so." Harry nodded and got up to hear his scores.

He opened the tent to find Ron standing at the entrance, and Harry could tell that he was out there the whole time, torn between going in or not. Ron opened and closed his mouth several times. "I, well…um…"

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing in his best friend's face. "I know. You're stupid." Ron smiled shyly and nodded. Harry jumped when he saw a flash.

Kim lowered the camera from her face. "That was beautiful! Colin Creevy told me to get a picture of you leaving the tent! He got one of you getting hit, if you want a copy for later."

Kim took another picture when Hermione went up to them both and swatted at their shoulders (Harry's uninjured one). "Don't you ever stop talking to each other again! It was horrible dividing my time up between you two when I could have been studying!"

Harry smiled. "You needed the break. Now you know how I feel when you two stop talking." Hermione smiled sheepishly.

He stood in front of the judges, wanting nothing more than to go back to the Common Room and relax. He hoped that they weren't throwing a party. Madame Maxime used her wand to produce a scarlet ribbon that took the shape of an eight and sat back down, trying to hide her smile. Crouch looked as solemn as ever and gave him a nine, and Harry blinked in surprise at Bagman's fiery ten. He had dislocated his shoulder! It was hardly a perfect performance. Dumbledore openly smiled at him and gave him a nine, and boos erupted from the stadium at Karkaroff's four. Harry was glad that Sirius at least didn't try to fight it. He just gave Karkaroff a dirty look and growled lowly when Durmstrang's headmaster openly sneered at him. Ron slapped Harry on the back, causing his best mate to wince. "Oh, sorry forgot," he said guiltily to Harry's glare. "But you're tied with Krum! He didn't even think of the broom, and he flies for a living! Karkaroff did that to everyone except him, so don't feel bad about his low score. He just didn't want you to win."

Harry smirked. "At least it wasn't a three."

Ron rolled his eyes as they all headed back to Gryffindor Tower. "Wait!" They all turned around to see Charlie and Lee chasing them, Lee looking about sour. "Bagman wants a word with the champions! I have to go write to mum!" Charlie quickly ran off.

"That Krum guy killed those eggs," Lee said bitterly as Harry made his way back to the tent.

"He didn't mean it!" Ron exclaimed. "It's not his fault that dragon smashed them!"

"This task was unfair to the dragons. The eggs shouldn't have been involved. The dragon could have been fooled with decoy eggs if the scent was right." Lee glared in the direction where Krum was being attacked by fan girls.

Kim bit her lip. "It's the Ministry. What can you do?"

"Burn it to the ground!" Lee grinned and waved nervously at Crouch, who just happened to be passing by. Then he turned to Ron. "Soooo, how's Marshmallow Gumdrop?"

Ron's eye twitched. "I could kill you for that!" he snapped at Kim.

"Lee needs something to make him happy after what happened to Mushroom Pizza's babies! So tell him about your trusty steed!" Kim put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.

Ron looked Lee right in the eye and said in a deadpanned voice, "Dead."

Lee opened his mouth in horror, but after a few minutes grinned evilly. "I'm telling Rita Skeeter!" He ran off to tell the woman about how Ron lost his unicorn in an epic battle against a band of piranhas that infested the Black Lake. Crying first years were sending Ron their condolences for the rest of the week.

* * *

At Harry's _surprise_ party, Sirius ate about four Canary Creams by accident, and then when he realized that they were Fred and George's creation ate about ten more. Ginny shook her head and took a sip of her butterbeer. "How can you turn into a canary four times and not think something's up?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, he knew. He's just too addicted to food to care."

"It's a wonder his animagus form isn't a pig." Ginny rolled her eyes, and Harry chuckled. "Maybe that would be better suited for Ron though." She snorted. "Did you know that he once ate a whole turkey?"

"How is he not Dursley sized?" Ginny giggled. "Well, I guess Ron's not _as_ bad as Dudley…But still, he better hope his metabolism doesn't crash when he reaches middle age." Harry smiled at the mental image.

"Hey! Harry!" Fred yelled.  
"Stop flirting with our sister and open the egg!" George grinned triumphantly at their blushes.

Secretly wanting to kill Fred and George, Harry went into the middle of the room and ignored everyone staring at him. Ginny held the egg as Harry tried to pry it open. He saw Kim in the background encouraging Colin Creevy to take a picture of him and Ginny.

The sound was horrible. Many covered their ears, and Remus swayed slightly because of his sensitive hearing. It sounded like someone with a sore throat screaming, but not in terror. In Harry's opinion, whoever it was didn't sound very kind. It was like they were trying to frighten him away. "SHUT IT!" Sirius yelled. Ginny quickly clamped it shut, and the silence left a ringing in everyone's ears.

Harry didn't stumble off to bed until nearly two in the morning, and mostly everyone was still down there. Much to Harry's surprise, someone stopped him just outside his dormitory doorway. He turned around to see Ginny. "I was really worried about you today."

Harry hoped it was too dark for Ginny to see him blush. "I had a plan…Besides, a dragon is nothing compared to a basilisk."

Ginny smiled weakly. "I would have been worried then too, but I was possessed." Harry wanted to smack himself because of his stupidity. He had to mention the one thing that almost killed her! Why couldn't he have said the giant spiders or something? "However, the first task made me realize that life is too short to hide my feelings." Harry felt his heart speed up, and suddenly, Ginny's voice became nervous. "I-I'll understand if you don't return my feelings, but I _really_ like you, Harry."

Harry nodded. "Yes. I mean. I do. I mean, oh wait. Yeah. That's what I meant. I was too shy to say anything and hoped you would figure it out." Harry wanted to bang his head against the wall. Did he just tell Ginny that she was too stupid to figure it out? He sure hoped not and wished his heart would stop beating so fast that it might jump out of his chest.

"That's good." Ginny said quietly. "So, um…" She looked at her shoes.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Harry blurted out and prayed his voice didn't sound funny. His tongue felt heavy, like it was made of lead. He didn't understand. He had talked to Ginny hundreds of times these past two years. Why did he have to screw it up when it mattered? He must of done something right though because Ginny squealed with delight, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him sweetly. Harry froze and then kissed her back just as gently and slowly.

Face flushed with excitement and pure joy, Ginny backed away after a minute and said, "Yes. Yes, I would." She held out her hand for him to shake and Harry took it, laughing. He couldn't get over how perfect this day had ended.

* * *

Remus was just about to force Sirius to wake up after the party when he saw Kim sitting in the armchair at the fireplace, looking bleary eyed and biting her nails. He also notice that she had dark circles under her eyes and wondered when the last time she had a decent night's sleep was. "Kim?" She jumped up and spun around. "You know that Sirius and I are worried about you, right?"

She stared at him for a minute, processing what he said. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

Remus blinked at her, not expecting that in the least. "No. I think you panic and act rashly sometimes, but I don't think you're crazy."

She turned back around, not looking at him. "Sometimes, I'm not so sure."

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." Remus gave her a desperate look, knowing that something was bothering her ever since September first. "I know it's something, but I just don't know what. Can you please tell me?"

Kim tensed up. "No."

"Why not?" Remus was trying not to pull at his hair in frustration. Why couldn't she just tell them? It wasn't like they didn't already know some of her darkest secrets, and they still didn't treat her any different. Sure, Sirius and Remus worried about her a bit more, but they did their best not to make her feel like something was wrong with her. They just wanted her to be a kid.

She whipped around once more, eyes filled with tears. "It doesn't matter because you couldn't help me anyway." She ran upstairs crying, and Remus only hoped that she would at least get some sleep.

Sighing, Remus shook Sirius slightly. "Come on, it's nearly seven thirty. The kids are going to get up for school soon." Sirius groaned. "I really don't understand how you can get such a hangover from candy and two butterbeers." Remus smiled as Sirius started complaining about how Fred and George challenged him to eat every flavor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

* * *

Back at their apartment, Remus and Sirius finally decided to open the box they got from Umbridge. They held it off because of worry over the first task and just plain nervousness at what was inside, so it was currently sitting in the corner of the living room, engorged but unopened. Remus knew what was inside, but still felt nervous about opening it. It had been over a decade since those things were forcibly taken from him after all.

Sirius picked up the box, surprised at how heavy it was, and put it on the coffee table in front of the couch. Then he sat there and stared at it for a few minutes, as if everything would jump out of the box by itself. "We could always look in the Pensieve later? It's just been so long since…" _I've heard their voices._ Seeing memories of Lily and James felt weird to even think about. It would be like they were there, right in front of him, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Remus nodded. "Yeah. I have some other stuff in there too, but I think it's time to get rid of it all."

Sirius looked up. "Like what?"

Remus sighed. "I had some of Harry and Kim's baby clothes." He shrugged helplessly. "From when I was trying to get custody of them. The Ministry thought it would be inappropriate for me to have them since I shouldn't be allowed near children anyway."

"We don't _have _to get rid of them." Once again, Sirius stared at the box. "I mean, one day, in the far future. Harry and Kim might…I mean, Molly can only knit so much, and babies dribble everywhere…"

"Lily and James wouldn't be angry if we threw them away or donated them." Remus knew that Sirius was trying to hold on to the past and wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. They didn't have to keep them or get rid of them. There was no harm either way.

Sirius fingered the edges of the box. "Yeah, I know." Finally, with all his courage, Sirius grabbed a knife from the kitchen and opened the sealed box. Warily, Remus walked closer to look inside with him. Sirius pulled out a soft blue rattle. "Remember when Kim used to hit me and James in the head with this?" Then he pulled out a teething ring. "Harry used to love these! I think that's why he favored Lily so much. She always brought him a new one whenever they got lost in the freezer." Sirius frowned when he took out their baby books. "Why weren't you allowed to have these? You had other pictures in the house."

Remus looked at the ground and fiddled with his hands. After a minute, he sat down on the couch, looking a bit defeated, and said, "It has a loch of their hair in it. The Ministry thought I would sniff it on a full moon and use it to track them." He paused. "Molly was so mad when I told her about it. She wrote to the Ministry every day, but I was so sick of dealing with the government that eventually I started distancing myself from the Weasleys. I just wanted to be alone for a while."

Sirius's eye twitched. "Those mother—" He stopped at the look Remus gave him. "I will _not_ let anything like this happen again."

Remus smiled sadly. "Sometimes you can't control it."

"Something's going to change to make things better. I just know it," Sirius said determinedly.

"But things will probably get a lot worse before they get better."

"Remus! You've got to stop being such a pessimist! I'll assassinate Fudge before I let them do anything to you!" Remus stared at him, surprised at how, well, serious Sirius was. "What? You think I'm going to let them push you around? If the Ministry thinks that, they've got another thing coming! Nobody messes with a fellow Marauder without facing the wrath of another!" Remus laughed quietly, and they spent the rest of the day going through what had been confiscated. Besides the baby things, they found Remus's muggle driver's license, which looked strange in his picture without the gray hair, some artwork that Remus used to make and sell, including a large painting of a wolf, a stag, a dog, and a rat, and Remus's family clock, which had Sirius, Remus, and baby Kim and Harry attached to it. Remus explained that he had attached Harry and Kim after November first, but didn't have the heart to take Sirius out. Sirius wondered if Remus subconsciously knew he was innocent but didn't want to voice it. Some things were better left unsaid.

* * *

Kim was silently eating her breakfast when a thought occurred to her. Moody said she couldn't tell anyone what was going on, but that didn't mean she couldn't ask for help. As long as she didn't specifically mention what was going on…Yes! That could work! "Harry?" He looked away from where he was gazing at Ginny. "How do you fight off the Imperious Curse?"

Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn't mentioned this since she had her panic attack, and even then, she didn't say much about it. "Er, well, there's this voice telling you to do something." She stared at him blankly. "Um, I remember reading in the chapter that if you don't hear it, you are really going to have trouble fighting it, but it said that mediating may help… But it's voice that you have to fight. It's telling you to do something, and you have to tell it no, no matter how good it feels to just listen to it." Kim nodded. She would try that tonight. Little did she know, tonight would be too little too late.

* * *

Theo rushed up to Kim later that day on her way to Arithmancy. Hermione smiled shyly and hurried away. Kim looked at her retreating figure gratefully. Hermione never mentioned to anyone what Kim and Theo had fought about, and she was nice enough to give them some privacy. "I'm sorry." Kim narrowed her eyes. "No! Really! I am. It's just that I always grew up thinking they were evil. I know, I know, you were raised to think so too," he added hastily. "But after our fight, it got me thinking." He looked away. "Lupin was always nothing but nice to me, and that was how I repay him?" He kicked his shoes at the ground, not knowing what else to say.

Kim bit her lip. "It was wrong of me to hit you. You didn't deserve that. Nobody does. If the gender roles were switched, it would be quite the scandal." Theo looked up at her hopefully. "I'm sorry too."

Smiling, Theo kissed her, ignoring the warning bell. They were close enough to Professor Vector's classroom. They had a few minutes. He moved down towards her neck, enjoying the gasp of pleasure that escaped her when his tongue grazed her skin. His hands went into her shirt as her put his arms around her back, curiously feeling the long scars. Still, he didn't stop kissing her neck. He'd ask her after class. Speaking of class, they were interrupted by a not so pleased Professor Vector.

"This is the second time!" Her yelling silenced anyone who was left in the hall. "I am writing to both of your parents, and the two of you will have Sunday morning detentions until the end of January! Now, get in the classroom and try to contain yourselves!" Kim gulped, imagining Sirius reading that letter.

* * *

Kim was on her away to Durmstrang's boat when Draco stopped her. He called her name quite a few times, but it seemed like she didn't hear him. Finally, he ran up to her and touched her shoulder. She yelped and spun around, leaving Draco to believe that maybe she wasn't ignoring him and really hadn't heard him. He frowned. Her eyes were really cloudy, like she was in a whole other world. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes finally focused on him, and she tensed up. "Yeah, yeah…I'm fine." Her voice was shaking, and she looked around like she didn't know how she got there, making Draco think that she was anything but. "What do you want?"

Draco glared at her. "I want to know how you can forgive Nott so easily for whatever he did but not me. You looked even angrier at him than you were at me, considering that you broke his nose."

Kim gritted her teeth. "_Because_ he said he was sorry." Draco stared. That was it? That was all he had to say? Before Draco could open his mouth, Kim added, "And he meant it. If you were sorry, you'd tell your father about me." Draco remained silent. "That's what I thought. Go back to Daphne, Draco." She stormed off, and if Draco had tried to catch up to her, he would have seen that her eyes were becoming once again cloudy.

* * *

Early that night, while Sirius was foaming at the mouth because of that letter, Viktor was discussing the wretched noise that came out of the egg with Karkaroff. "It sounds like it could be a language from some creature, but how anyone could listen to it long enough to translate it is beyond me. I would try to research what creatures they could possibly be." Viktor knew that Karkaroff would do it for him if wanted, but if he was at the library, he would get to see _her_.

Suddenly, the room was filled with bubbles. "Vhat is this?" Karkaroff encouraged Viktor to speak English as much as possible, so he wouldn't forget the language.

Karkaroff looked around in confusion. "I don't know…Maybe it's from a girl? They have been after you a lot lately." Viktor frowned. He had been getting a lot of candy and broom cleaning supplies lately but never bubbles.

Karkaroff stood up to pop one but stopped when he realized what they were doing. They were coming together to form larger bubbles. Maybe they would form into some kind of creepy message from a Hogwarts girl. Karkaroff had to admit that they were getting creative. Viktor stood up and walked into the middle of the room. "This is very curious."

The bubbles started closing in on him. "Viktor! Get away!" But it was already too late. Karkaroff sent as many shielding spells as he could, as the bubbles exploded around Viktor.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	12. Conversations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 12

Remus was beginning to wonder if he and Sirius might as well move into Hogwarts because of all that was happening. At least this time, Harry or Kim wasn't in trouble. Still, he felt guilty thinking _thank God it wasn't one of my kids._ Krum was on his way to St. Mungo's, and his parents would be arriving shortly. He wasn't dying, but he wasn't doing well either. The explosion broke several of his ribs, one of which had punctured his lung. Along with that, he was burned pretty badly because of the heat from the explosion and the chemical splash from the bubbles. He would be in the hospital for at least two weeks.

"What I want to know is why Viktor was harmed the worst?" Karkaroff barked out. They were having a meeting in Dumbledore's office, and Madame Maxime was with them as well. Sirius and Remus were there because Dumbledore thought that Harry might be next. "And why wasn't Potter targeted?"

Sirius jumped out of his seat, but Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him. "Now, now, Igor, to be honest, any of the other champions attacked could have died as well. Fleur could have choked on the glass." Madame Maxime shuddered. "And if Cedric had happened to be closer to his cauldron…As for Harry, I fear that his life is endangered as well, but I have no idea who could be doing this. You'd think that a killer would use the Tournament to get rid of whoever they wanted dead."

"So what's going to be done to protect Harry?" Sirius asked. Karkaroff glared at him. "What? Fleur and Cedric weren't hurt again! The culprit is obviously attacking them one by one."

"Ze problem is zat ze killer's motives are unknown," Madame Maxime stated. "What would zhey 'ave against ze Tournament? It 'asn't been played in about two 'undred years." She drummed her finger nails on Dumbledore's desk because of her nerves. She loved all her students like they were her children and couldn't bear the thought of Fleur being murdered, but after what happened to Krum, it was clearly a reality.

"Because they aren't against the Tournament!" Karkaroff was almost shouting now. "They are trying to scare the other champions so Potter can win!" He pointed at Sirius.

"WHY would I want to do this? If I had my way Harry wouldn't be competing at all," Sirius snapped.

"Sirius wasn't even at the school when Viktor was attacked," Remus said calmly.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Mad-Eye hobbled in. "I could hear you lot arguing my whole way up the stairs. It isn't Black, but if Potter isn't attacked, I think it would be safe to say that whoever this is _wants_ Potter to win." He paused, wondering what to say. "Where's Bagman? I hear his gambling addiction has reached an all-time low."

Sirius snorted. "Ludo doesn't have the brains for this. Hell, I don't even have the brains for this. Exploding bubbles?"

A thought suddenly occurred to Barty. It was about time that greasy traitor was thrown under the Knight Bus. He nodded. "You'd have to be pretty skilled at potions to know that."

Sirius immediately tensed up, and Remus gave him a warning look. "Sirius—"

"SNAPE!" Sirius roared. "Typical. He must have put Harry's name in to avenge himself because of me and James. And then he tries to make Harry look like some kind of killer." Mad-Eye smirked.

"Don't you think that's a bit farfetched?" Remus rolled his eyes. "I may not be particularly fond of Severus, but I don't think he would do such a thing, and neither do you, Sirius. You just always want to think the worst of him." Sirius had the decency to hang his head a bit in shame, and Mad-Eye shot Remus an evil look. He stared at him. That was odd. Mad-Eye was used to everyone shooting down his paranoid theories.

"Well, what are we going to do about Harry then?" Sirius fought the urge to rant about Snape again. "We know to watch out for bubbles, but what if the son of a bitch poisons his food or something? Were the house elves questioned after what happened to Fleur?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "They appeared to be Oblivated. I tried Legilimancy, but it only put the house elves in more distress. House elves have always been greatly affected when Oblivated. I fear that there is no way to reverse it."

Remus sighed. "I'll send an owl to Zonko. Maybe if we stay here for a few days, we can find the culprit while they try to attack Harry." Sirius opened his mouth to object to using Harry as bait. "What else can we do, Sirius?" Sirius shrugged helplessly and sunk back into his seat. There was nothing else they could do.

* * *

Kim was surprised to hear everyone talking about what happened to Krum that morning and felt a horrible sinking feeling when she realized that it was because of her. She followed Hermione to breakfast, feeling her brain buzzing with questions. Was Krum going to die? Was he going to suffer the rest of his life because of her? Kim blinked out her tears as she nibbled on her toast. Looking at her food in revulsion, Kim stood out of her seat rather quickly, startling those sitting around her. Not caring in the slightest, she left the Great Hall and wondered if she could guzzle down a few dreamless sleep potions and nap the day away. Or maybe, if Krum was in the Hospital Wing, she should visit him to face what she had done. She couldn't apologize because that would mean telling what happened, and she was cursed to do just the opposite, but she should at least find out if he was going to live. "Hey! Did you hear what happened to Krum?" She was almost to the first floor when Theo caught up to her.

Kim nodded, not looking at him. "Is he in the Hospital Wing? I think I should visit him."

"Why?" Theo asked, eyes narrowed.

Kim frowned. She was way too tired for this. When was the last time she had slept for more than three hours at a time? She couldn't remember. "It's none of your business. You can come too. I just have to. Krum probably wouldn't even know either," she finished lamely.

Theo clenched his fists. "I don't understand why you can't tell me!"

"You know what? I don't understand either." Kim pulled at her hair. "Everything is just so messed up, and I can't do anything about it!" She tried to keep her voice in a whisper. Passersby were already staring, since they fought so much people must figure that they were at it again.

"I don't trust you." Theo pursed his lips. Kim let out a shaky breath, half wanting to scream at him, half wanting to cry out and ask why not. "I feel like I'm too dependent on you but…" He sighed, looking for the right words. "Because I don't trust you, I don't treat you right and vice versa. If you trusted me, you wouldn't challenge everything I say, and you'd tell me what's going on."

"B-but I need you!" Kim felt hot tears filling her eyes. "It's not just you! I can't tell anyone about this!" She closed her eyes and shook her head furiously. "I can't help it!" she yelled.

He smiled sadly. "It isn't just this, and you know it. We just…aren't right for each other." Kim felt shaken to the core. He was breaking up with her? "I'm sorry. I do care about you a lot. Hell, I came so close to loving you. But honestly, I feel like either we're having the time of our lives or fighting." He hugged her and then kissed her on the forehead. "Maybe in the future…" He shook his head. "We'd both need to make some changes if we were going to have anything." Kim gaped at him, white as a sheet and with wide eyes. "Goodbye," he said sadly. And then, he was gone.

* * *

Harry was just leaving breakfast and much to Ron's shock, was holding Ginny's hand when Sirius and Remus appeared. Ron stared at their hands with a clueless expression but decided to ask Harry in private later since he still felt like he was on thin ice for being a prat for almost a month.

Sirius ran up to Harry. "You ate already?!" He rushed over and felt Harry's forehead. Harry stood perfectly still, wanting to become invisible because of Sirius's coddling in front of everybody. "How do you feel? Nauseous? Does your stomach hurt? You don't have a fever though…"

"Er…" Harry wasn't sure how to exactly respond to that.

Unfortunately, that only made matters worse. "Can you talk? Do you feel disoriented? He's been poisoned Remus! I just know it! Why'd you have to get up so early on a Saturday, Harry?"

"Wait. Is this about Krum?" Harry felt that Sirius was getting worse every day. "Because I think I'd be frothing at the mouth on the floor right now if I was poisoned." Sirius stared with his mouth hung open as if Harry told him the most horrible thing in the world. "What?"

"Sirius thinks some sort of assassin is out to kill you since all the other champions were attacked with in a few days of each other." Remus tried not to smile. "We're going to be here for the next couple of weeks to try to keep whoever this is from harming you." Harry nodded, hoping Sirius wouldn't follow him around during classes. Sirius in Potions Class would not be good.

Once Sirius decided that Harry wasn't poisoned, he asked, "There's something different about you though…I just can't put my finger on it." Ginny quickly let go of Harry's hand. "AHA!" Sirius pointed at Ginny. "You had another hand attached to you!"

"Sirius, leave him alone. I think you embarrassed him enough for a life time." Remus was openly smiling now.

Sirius suddenly stood a bit straighter. "Wait! Remus, wait! I recall getting a letter yesterday! In light of this new situation, I think it is time the four of us had a talk. A talk that parents are quite famous for." Harry cringed, and Ginny, having heard from Hermione what letter he was talking about, scurried away before she could get sucked into this conversion too. Sirius laughed. "I'll be writing to Molly. She won't get out of it that easily." Harry decided at that moment that it was a laugh of pure evil.

* * *

Theo found himself outside, moping around and resisting the urge to run over to Gryffindor Tower to bang on the portrait and beg for forgiveness. His heart ached with the loss of his relationship, but something about it just wasn't right. He had to be the mature one and let go.

He sat down by a tree near Hagrid's hut because being outside always made him feel a little better whenever he felt glum. He looked over to see a blonde girl sniffing small light blue and white flowers on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Upon further inspection, Theo realized that she wasn't sniffing the flowers but looking at them closely. She tore herself away from the flowers as he slowly walked over to her. "You look awfully unhappy. Are you looking for the Fuzzy Feelies too?"

Theo stared, looking at her misty gray eyes. "Um…I'm not sure."

She smiled warmly at him. "My name's Luna Lovegood." Theo frowned. He had heard that name somewhere before. "Fuzzy Feelies resemble fuzzy green caterpillars but are very small and hard to find. I'm looking for them because they help you feel a little bit happy when you're sad. A girl in Ravenclaw failed a Potions test, so I figured I could cheer her up if I found some." She paused as the pulled a magnifying glass out of her brown satchel. Theo smiled when he saw the flowers sewn on to it. "Maybe then she'll stop calling me Looney Lovegood," she said a matter a factly.

Theo squatted down next to her, not seeing anything that could be a Fuzzy Feely. "Why would you do anything for someone who makes fun of you?" Whenever someone in his house made fun of him, Theo either taunted them back or put itching powder in their bed later that night.

She looked at him curiously. "Why not?" Theo could think of a million reasons to not help someone who bullies you but thought that Luna wouldn't understand any of them. "Do you like creatures? My father and I search for them all the time."

Theo thought of those horses that took him to Hogwarts that no one else saw and of the blast ended shrewts but also thought of the Hippogriffs and the flaming salamanders. "Depends on the creature, I guess."

She nodded. "Heliopaths are the worst."

They continued searching for the Fuzzy Feelies for the rest of the day, stopping briefly for lunch and returning with an extra magnifying glass for Theo. Theo felt sore from all the searching and wondered if Fuzzy Feelies even existed, but for some reason, he didn't want to say so, because that would mean leaving Luna. Theo sighed, not sure if he thought of Luna as a friend or more than a friend, since a huge part of him wanted nothing more than to run over to Kim and hug her, never letting go. Still, Theo observed at the look of determination on Luna's face and was surprised by how fast his heart sped up. He'd have to take this really slow. Suddenly, Theo felt a lot better, not wanting to cry for the first time since his mother died. He smiled at Luna. "I think we may have found some." Maybe that would give her a clue that he was cheered up after spending time with her.

She stared at him, not seeing any Fuzzy Feelies. She shook her head. "No. You're wrong. I think we'll have to go closer to the Lake." Theo stared again and could help but roar with laughter. Yup, this was going to go really slow.

* * *

Sirius and Remus practically had to drag Harry to Gryffindor Tower to collect Kim so they could go have The Talk in an empty classroom with silence charms. Suddenly, the boy wanted to catch up on all his homework on a Saturday afternoon and was debating faking being poisoned like Sirius had assumed. They found Kim curled up in a ball on the couch where she usually took naps. When she looked up her eyes were red. "What?" she asked in such a harsh tone that Remus flinched.

Sirius, however, was unfazed. "I got a letter from Professor Vector yesterday." Kim looked at him like he kicked a puppy right in front of her. "Oh yes, you are in trouble. I think no Hogsmeade for the next four trips will suit you just fine. Also, Remus and I have dubbed it prudent to have a little talk with you. Harry will be joining us because I say so." She just stared at him. "Come on now, unless you want to have it here?" Harry looked at her with pleading eyes since the Creevy brothers and Neville were in the room. Kim looked at him blankly but still got up to follow them.

They sat down in their usual empty classroom that Harry thought was forever going to be defiled because of this conversation. Sirius sat down comfortably while Remus looked like he wanted to bolt just as much as Harry. Kim just glared at Sirius, who grinned at her, knowing it would make her more irritated and not knowing that she was upset because of her breakup with Theo. "We are having this conversation because we don't want any little Potters running around until long after you both graduate Hogwarts. And no, Kim you don't count as a little Potter."

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill you," she said through gritted teeth.

"Love you too Sweetheart. Anyway, I'm assuming you both know where babies come from?" Harry nodded while Kim clenched and unclenched her fists, trying not to punch Sirius in the face. "Good. However, for some odd reason, Hogwarts does not teach contraception charms."

"What? No bananas?" Kim said bitterly. Remus put his face in his hands, but Harry wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or to hide his laughter.

Sirius didn't seem to understand. "I don't see how that's relevant."

"Oh really?" she asked sarcastically. "What kind of sex ed. teacher are you if don't know about the condoms and bananas?" Harry wondered if lying and telling Sirius that Uncle Vernon had talked to him about this would allow him to leave the room.

Sirius frowned. "What's a condom?"

Suddenly, Remus burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Padfoot!" He took a minute to calm down. "A condom is what Muggles use to prevent pregnancy and the passing on of STDs. It's an um…rubber…cover for the penis." Sirius turned red. "It's not one hundred percent though. No Muggle device is."

Kim seemed to cheer up a bit at Sirius's embarrassment. "Do you at least know what abstinence is?"

"Yes, I do!" Sirius narrowed his eyes. "And I hope you'll practice it until you're thirty five." Kim opened her mouth to ask something. "And yes, even if you're married." She clamped her mouth shut and went back to glaring at him.

"Does that count for Harry too?" Harry frowned. He just had his first kiss the other night, and Sirius and Kim were already talking about his sex life.

Sirius nodded. "Of course."

"What Sirius is trying to say, or at least what I hope he is trying to say, is that we want you both to wait to have sex, but we want you to be prepared if you chose to do so." Remus shifted uncomfortably.

Sirius shrugged. "I suppose so."

"You guys are so weird." Kim rolled her eyes and giggled.

Sirius rolled his eyes in return and took out his wand. "It's pronounced _impede vita_. Point it at yourselves or your significant other. Remember it for the rest of your lives, or I will make you watch Muggle videos of women giving birth." Harry's eyes widened. That would be pretty awful, and he had a feeling it would give him nightmares.

"Even when I'm eighty?" Kim squeaked. Sirius nodded and her eyes narrowed. "Interesting."

Harry made a repulsed face. "No, it isn't."

"Wrinkly old people getting it down!" Harry sighed. Kim was making this conversation a hundred times worse than it had to be. "Filch and Madame Pince!"

Harry closed his eyes for a minute. "I hope you walk in on them."

"Oh no! I would die!" She sunk out of her seat. "I'm melting! I'm melting!"

"I think we're getting off topic here," Sirius said with exasperation. "The point is…There's nothing wrong with waiting to have sex because, um, you're not mature enough yet…" Remus knew Sirius was having a hard time with this part because he was chasing girls since third year and lost his virginity at the end of his fourth year. Remus wondered if he even remembered the girl's name.

When Kim sat up, she suddenly looked upset again. "No one's going to have sex with me because no one loves me!" she wailed. She then got up and ran out of the room.

Harry looked at the door she just slammed. "I think that means she broke up with Nott." He noted that Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

Sirius grinned from ear to ear. "Good. He called her names and was too handsy."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "She punched him in the face. How would you feel if Ginny punched me in the face?"

Sirius's face fell. "I would be pretty mad…"

Remus got up and stretched. "Well, I wonder how long it will be before Malfoy starts following her around like a lost puppy again."

"Never!" Harry wondered if Sirius would be okay with Kim dating _anybody_. "She isn't allowed to date! It's part of her punishment." Sirius folded his arms as if that settled the matter.

"That worked out perfectly for you when your mom told you to stay away from Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs." Sirius paled at Remus's words. "I guess you're lucky you knew that contraception charm or you'd have more kids than the Weasleys."

Harry hoped Sirius had nothing else to say on the matter. "Well, I'd best be going…" He trailed off, not wanting Sirius to hunt him down later in the hallways to continue anything else.

But, thankfully, Sirius was done and just pointed at Harry and said, "No sex."

Harry stared at Sirius for a minute. He had a girlfriend for less than two days, and Sirius thought that Harry might already consider having sex with her. He'd never ask a girl that so soon, especially since he knew Ginny would harm him worse than any Weasley brother could. "Okay. You know that it's been less than two days, right?" Sirius nodded again and finally let Harry go.

* * *

Draco was on his way to dinner when the Weaslette dragged him away from Vince and Gregg. He glared at her, not in the mood to talk to a Gryffindork since his sort of fight with Kim yesterday. "What do you want? I'm not taking off the badge, Weasley."

Ginny smirked at him and said haughtily, "Well, I thought you would have reason to considering the news."

Draco looked at where Vince and Gregg were waiting for him but let his curiosity get the best of him. "What news?"

Ginny put her hands on her hips for a minute and then started to walk away. "I guess it doesn't matter. Everyone was right. You're not right for her."

"What is it, Weasley?!" But Ginny only stared at him, not fazed in the slightest by his nasty tone. "I'll take the badge off."

"I'm listening," she said slyly.

Draco gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the tiny bit of hope that he was feeling. "And I'll, I'll…" He gulped. "Apologize to Potter."

Ginny smiled. "Kim broke up with Nott." She suddenly looked a little guilty. "But, from the looks of things it was the other way around. She's pretty shaken up." Draco beamed. This is the best news he heard all day. Ginny shot him a warning look and slapped him in the arm. "You can't just go swooping in like that!"

Draco brought his brows together in confusion. "I can't?"

"No, you can't. You broke her heart. I mean, imagine being called an embarrassment because of the blood flowing through your veins! You made her feel inferior." Ginny tapped her foot impatiently.

"So what do I do?" Ginny huffed in annoyance, trying to wait patiently for him to figure it out. "What? What would your parents say if you were dating a Slytherin?"

Ginny pursed her lips. "If I loved him enough, I would at least gather up the courage to find out."

* * *

Kim finally got around to mediating like Harry mentioned. It was the least she could do, since Krum was at St. Mungo's, and she couldn't visit him. If she was able to fight the curse, then she wouldn't harm anyone else. She sat down on her bed with her legs folded Indian style and did her best to clear her mind. Once she closed her eyes, Kim desperately wanted to sleep, not remembering the last time she allowed herself to get a decent amount of it. Her mind was always racing about the man that had complete control of her whenever she tried to clear her mind and sleep. Her friends, Harry, and Theo were usually able to distract her, but once she was alone, all those horrible thoughts came flooding back.

She took slow, deep breaths and wondered if she was really asleep after all. Everything seemed so peaceful, so quiet. Kim almost wished she could stay like this forever. And then she heard it. _Kill._ It wasn't much and was barely a whisper, but it was something. She tried to keep her breathing even and with all her might tried to say it. _No._

But that only made the voice louder, more soothing, more enticing. _Kill, silence, hurt! _Those words repeated over and over again, sometimes forming specific sentences that were the Death Eater's instructions, but it was those same words that were the loudest.

Finally, Kim opened her eyes, but that didn't stop the voice. _Kill a champion. Keep silent. Hurt and frighten the others. Kill, kill, kill_! She fell to the floor sobbing. It wouldn't stop! Why wouldn't it stop?

* * *

Kim stumbled down the stairs that Sunday afternoon, wondering what time it was. Parvati was the one that found her that night and put her to bed. She never said a word and only nodded when Kim had shyly asked for her bag under her bed that had a dreamless sleep potion in it. Kim felt that it was very out of character for Parvati but was still grateful. It had to have been around eight that night. She looked over to where Sirius and Ron were playing chess. Hermione was reading as usual. "What time is it?"

Remus looked up from where he was helping Harry and Ginny with Transfiguration. "Nearly five o'clock." His voice held poorly masked concern, and Sirius was trying to look at her without her knowing.

She stared. "_At night?_" He nodded while she did the best to ignore the buzzing in her head. It only grew louder. "I'm going to take a shower." She hurried off before anyone could say anything. If she was going to have another panic attack, she didn't want anyone to know.

Kim felt the hot water practically burned her skin but didn't care. She scrubbed herself pink and then spent forever brushing her teeth and performing her rituals in the bathroom until the voices quieted into a soft whisper. If she wasn't crazy now, Kim knew she was teetering over the edge.

It was nearly seven by the time she came back down, and only Sirius and Remus were there, besides other Gryffindors that she didn't really talk to. Sirius tried to smile at her. "Everyone's waiting to eat dinner with you in the kitchens. You didn't eat all day…" She felt like she was half listening to him and half listening to the whispers. Sirius looked at her cautiously. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes," she answered almost too quickly. It almost sounded like a yelp.

Sirius and Remus shared a look. Finally, Remus croaked out, "Well, then let's go."

They ate mostly in silence. Dobby had found Harry after a while, and they chatted about his life as a free elf. It wasn't until Fred and George came that Kim snapped. They strutted in as if they dinned in the kitchens often and asked Kim if she wanted any Canary Creams. She looked down at her soup. "Why?"

They looked at each other, wondering why she didn't bicker with them over their weak attempt at a prank. "Because…" Fred started.

"We are in a prank war."

"There hasn't been a battle in a while."

"But there wasn't a cease fire agreement." Again, Kim was only half listening.

"I'm not fighting with you. Sure, we prank each other sometimes, but we never fight." Kim was wondering if she'd ever be able to think clearly again. Her brain felt so sluggish, and all it wanted to do was listen to that voice.

Fred and George stared at each other. Was this Kim's own version of a prank? "That's what we said. Prank war."

"Maybe now is not the best time—" Remus started.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kim jumped up of her chair, swatted at her bowl, causing it to fall to the floor, spilling everywhere and breaking into a bunch of large pieces, and stormed off.

Both Fred and George looked startled for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "That has to be…"

"Her best…"

"Prank…"

"Ever!" They both finished. Sirius scowled.

"It wasn't a prank," Harry mumbled. "Something's wrong with her."

* * *

Ron looked at Harry as they prepared for bed that night. Neville was already snoring. "So, what's up with you and Ginny?"

Harry froze. "Well, you see, Ron…I-I really like her, but not, you know, like you like her, so I gathered up some courage…and um, asked her if she would be my girlfriend." Harry flinched, ready for Ron to beat him up.

"Oh, well…That's good." Ron shrugged awkwardly and for the first time in all his days at Hogwarts, started to make his bed, even though he was just about to get into it.

"I won't hurt her," Harry stated, knowing he really meant it.

Ron scowled. "Yeah, I know. I just…" He shuddered. "My best friend and my sister. Gross."

Harry frowned. "It's not like its incest."

"I know, I know! But, I mean, just seeing you together. Ugh! Kissing and all that." Ron looked up from his bed. "Disgusting."

Biting his lip to keep from laughing, Harry said, "I'm not going to walk up to you and say, 'Hey Ron!' and then start snogging her right in front of you!"

Ron's eyes widened. "You didn't kiss her, did you?"

"No, no, not at all," Harry lied. "It's way too soon for that." Ron exhaled in relief while Harry hoped to God that Ron never saw the two of them kissing, ever.

* * *

That morning, Kim wasn't at breakfast, but Malfoy still came over, without any of his cronies. Harry stared when he placed a bag with about two dozen _POTTER STINKS_ badges on the table. "I got everyone else to take them off too," he mumbled.

"Okay." Harry wondered why Ginny looked so excited and was motioning for Colin Creevy to come over to their part of the table with his camera.

Malfoy looked around nervously. Of course all the Weasleys had to been listening intently. Even Black and Lupin were there. "The thing is…I have something to say, to all you actually." He took a deep breath. "Well, here it goes…" Ron could barely contain his glee, having caught on to what Malfoy was about to do. He was actually sweating. "I'm sorry." Hermione's jaw dropped. "Yes, yes, I know! Alert the presses." He narrowed his eyes, ready for any nasty comments they were about to dish out.

Harry could see that no one was going to say anything until he did. Finally, after almost four years of rivalry, Harry said, "Apology accepted." Hermione and Ginny quickly nodded, although the rest of the Weasleys look reluctant. Just as Malfoy was about to turn around and leave, they finally nodded too, knowing that if he left they couldn't make him squirm anymore.

Malfoy glowered. "I still don't like you guys." Remus shook his head, torn between amusement and disappointment. At least the young Slytherin wasn't saying hate anymore.

Harry grinned. "The same goes for the rest of us. We accepted because of how hard it must have been for you to do so. In fact, I bet you'll be crying yourself to sleep tonight because of it."

Malfoy pouted at the fact that they weren't rejoicing in the fact that he apologized. "I will not. Malfoys don't cry! Wait until my father hears about this!"

Ron laughed. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that you apologized to the Weasleys and Harry Potter."

Malfoy glowered and mumbled, "I'm outta hear." With that he stalked off the Slytherin table, ignoring anyone who asked what he was talking about with _them_.

* * *

As it turns out, it was the Moody imposter who ensured that Kim wouldn't attack anyone else. She was on her way to DADA when she spotted Cedric. He had just asked Cho Chang out and had a big smile on his face. She was just about to charge after him (and probably attack him in front of everyone) when Moody called out to her, "Come on lass! You are one of those ones that can't afford to be late."

Kim turned around, but she still felt like she had to do something…The voice was telling her to do it, to kill. She followed him in, feeling more violent than she had ever remembered feeling. The worst part was that she didn't have a reason for it. She didn't notice the odd looks that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were giving her. "Now, for today's lesson—"

The wind was knocked out of him as Kim forced him to the ground with strength that she didn't even think she had. Before she knew it, she was choking him. Some of the girls were screaming, and others stood still in shock. Still, she gripped his neck harder, ignoring the fact that he was turning purple and spluttering in failed attempts to breath, and started screaming, "Die! Die! DIE!" It was at that point that she thought to herself there was no turning back. She had lost her mind.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I tried not to make Theo too out of character. I think he just realized where things were heading. Plus, they are teenagers, so I don't think it's too out there that he's suddenly into Luna right after breaking up with Kim. They are going to be friends for a while, and I think Theo will be stuck wondering how he is going to make his move. Please review!**


	13. Remus Swears!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Sorry if the McDonald's joke is gross, but in my humble American opinion, it's very true.**

Chapter 13

Kim gasped as someone pushed her roughly off of Moody and tried to hold her down. She saw the glint of a pair of glasses but was too fearful and agitated to care and started thrashing blindly in her brother's grasp. She couldn't stop screaming.

The creak of the nearby floorboards told her that the imposter hadn't been rendered unconscious. "I think it would be prudent for someone to fetch Dumbledore." Then Kim saw a flash of red light and felt so stiff that she couldn't move. At least it allowed her to stop screaming.

Remus threw the book he was currently reading onto the wooden table in the living room that was part of their rooms at Hogwarts. "It could be anything! Anything from Bipolar Disorder to someone cursing her to get to Harry! I'm not a mind healer! I can't do this!"

Sirius smiled sadly from where he was looking out the window with a cup of coffee. "Nobody said you had to. Maybe we should take her to St. Mungo's. I just don't want her to be committed or for them to pour God knows how many potions down her throat."

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing." Remus looked at the book on mental illnesses he got from the library, half wanting to start reading it again and half wanting to rip it into a thousand pieces.

Sirius sighed. "We'll talk to her about going tonight." He had really been trying to avoid this, but now he felt like he had no choice. Sirius held his hand out and pulled Remus out of the chair. "But let's try to forget about it for a few hours. We're both running ourselves ragged between this and the Tournament."

Just as Sirius leaned in to kiss Remus, Snape's voice ruined everything when he drawled, "Well, Avery owes me five galleons. I guess it would be odd bringing it up since I haven't spoken to him in years."

Sirius turned around slowly and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Well Snivellus, if you've had your fun, I suggest you leave before I hex your balls off."

Snape sneered at him. "I'm sure you would enjoy that." He paused, looking at Remus's book. "I'm afraid it's a little too late for that since your god-brat is currently locked in the Astronomy Tower."

Remus paled. "What?"

Snape shrugged and took a seat, making himself comfortable. "They had to chain her up once the stunner wore off. They probably put up silencing charms too. She would stop screaming."

Sirius felt like he was going to be sick. "I don't understand. What happened?"

Snape suddenly stopped playing games. "Nobody understands. She just started attacking Moody in the classroom. Tried to strangle him to death. She would have too if Potter hadn't gotten her off. She gave him a black eye before Moody was able to stand again and stunned her."

"The Ministry?" Remus asked.

"Albus managed to prevent them from bringing the Dementors." Sirius started shaking. "However, aurors are investigating everywhere." Snape rolled his eyes. "They're even searching the dungeons for some reason. So far charges haven't been pressed, but they will be, once Moody confirms what happened. He's with Poppy right now."

Sirius walked over to the door. "Where's Harry?" He sounded very demanding, but Snape chose to ignore it.

"At the Tower, trying to get them to let her out. Why? I don't know." Snape glared back at the look Sirius was giving him. "What? If she was let out, who knows what she could do?"

They made their way to the Astronomy Tower in silence. To be honest, Remus was surprised he could even walk. He felt like all his insides had shriveled up, and hadn't felt this bad since Lily and James died. But Kim wasn't dead…Remus just hoped that she was going to be able to get better.

Harry could be found at the steps of the Astronomy Tower, but the three heard him all the way down the hall. "She's sick, and you lock her up like some kind of animal… NO! THIS IS BULLSHIT! HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF THE MINISTER OF MAGIC?" He jumped when Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry," he said, barely above a whisper.

Sirius shot Fudge a death stare. "No, no. It's perfectly fine."

Fudge held his ground. "I am not going to let a deranged murderer walk free." He looked over at Sirius, who was currently being held back by Remus.

In a dangerously quiet voice, Remus commanded, "Unlock the doors."

"Since she is chained up and wandless, I don't see the harm, Cornelius." Dumbledore looked grim. It was one of the few times he couldn't understand one of his students. Fudge frowned but didn't want to go against something Dumbledore said and headed up the steps.

Kim had finally stopped screaming by then and was sitting along the wall of the Astronomy Tower, rocking back and forth and muttering to herself. She looked up to them when the bared door started to open up. Her eyes were glassy, as if she were in another world. Snape frowned. He had seen that look before. But it was gone by the time the door was unlocked and opened. Her eyes suddenly were looking around wildly, as if she didn't know where she was. Snape stared at her. Again, familiar.

Fudge stayed outside the Astronomy Tower as the rest walked in. Sirius almost lost it though when he ordered, "Don't talk to her, wolf. I don't want you conspiring with her." Remus froze, but said nothing.

Just like she did after the World Cup, Kim ran over and clung to Remus, sobbing uncontrollably. He choked back his own sob, petted her hair, and whispered, "I know…We're going to get you better."

"I said—" Fudge began.

When Remus turned his head over to Fudge, it was the first time Harry every thought of him as a wolf. "And I say, shut the fuck up." Sirius and Harry's jaws dropped. If the situation was different, Sirius never would have let Remus forget this.

"Why-why I-I could…" Fudge spluttered. No one, not even purebloods talked to him like that.

Severus decided it was time to step in. "Clearly," he drawled. He took a moment to let everyone focus on what he had to say. Luckily, the Potter girl's wails were muffled in Lupin's shirt. "Miss Potter has been under the Imperius Curse for quite a long time." He couldn't help but feel satisfied when the girls ceased her sniveling and became perfectly still. The rest of them just stared at him with wide eyes. Albus gave him a ghost of a smile.

Fudge went back to his stuttering. "There-there is no way that someone could be under that curse in the castle. Hogwarts is the most protected place in the world." Sirius took a deep breath and counted to three. How could he say that after all the things that happened to Harry?

Severus frowned. "I'm sure it would look just fantastic if you sent the Boy Who Lived's sister to Azkaban," he snapped sarcastically.

The realization of that finally dawned on Fudge. "Maybe it would be best to investigate before making an impetuous decision."

"I think a curse breaker would be best," Dumbledore advised. Now all he had to do was get Miss Potter out of the Tower. "Until then, I think it is best she stay in my quarters. One could easily break her out if they Imperiused her to leave the tower." Fudge seemed to be considering this. "I will have house elves stationed at her door at night."

Fudge shook his head. "I think a Ministry holding cell would be best. I trust aurors more than house elves." Sirius growled, but Fudge simply rolled his eyes. A bold move, in Harry's opinion, considering that he doubted that Remus would stop Sirius from ripping Fudge's throat out.

Albus considered this. Distance away from the curser may do Miss Potter some good. However, she may become traumatized by being abandoned in a cold, lonely Ministry holding cell. "Until charges are filed, I'm afraid you can't do that."

Fudge looked at his watch. Moody had been gone for nearly an hour and should be back at any minute. "I can wait."

On his way to the Astronomy Tower, Barty was debating what to tell Fudge. If Kim went to Azkaban, that meant he lost his play thing, but how was he going to get her out of it? If only he had time to contact his master. The Dark Lord would surely know what to do. Still, if Kim was gone, the plan would still be enacted perfectly. He took a gulp from his flask as he clonked up the stairs. However, Harry's performance during the tasks could be affected if his sister was incarcerated, and then everything would be ruined. The Dark Lord would not be pleased with one of the other champions winning the Tournament, and Barty wanted nothing more than to please his master. That settled it. He was going to try to keep the Potter girl out of that wretched place.

When he walked into the Astronomy Tower, Barty almost laughed out loud. Kim heard the familiar sound of his leg and ran away from the wolf, putting her face to the walk. She was sure doing a good job of making herself look out of her mind. Fudge nodded at him. "Mr. Moody! We are currently trying to investigate what happened. Severus seems to think the Imperius Curse was to blame." The minister shot the wolf a dirty look when Remus walked over and tried to coax Kim away from the wall. Black whispered something to Harry, who nodded in agreement.

Resisting the urge to kill Snape in front of them all, Barty resorted to Moody's usual paranoia. "Oh really? What a coincidence! A death eater is in the school with children he's taught dark magic, and dark magic is used. I'm sure one of the students was jealous of Krum and thought they would have a little fun."

Fudge took out a handkerchief and wiped some sweat from his brow. Barty raised his eyebrows and chuckled. It was so cold in the Astronomy Tower yet Fudge was sweating like the pig that he is. _I guess that happens when you have no idea what you're doing._ Why was he even here anyway? Shouldn't Kingsley be here? Barty supposed it was because it was such a big case. A case that would most definitely involve the press. "So does that mean you aren't pressing charges? I will have her in a Ministry cell if you do." He sounded hopeful.

Barty sneered at him. "Dumbledore doesn't want _you _to so you're asking me to. I want her suspended for the rest of the week. Start the investigation. If the Imperius Curse is ruled out, then I will press charges." And then, he turned around and left so they wouldn't see the smirk on his face.

* * *

They decided to spend that week in the cottage. Harry had been allowed to go too, since it was a family emergency, and wondered what the curse breaker was going to do. He had asked Ginny and Hermione to get some things for Kim while he packed his own things and told Ron what had happened with Fudge. Madame Pomfrey gave Kim enough dreamless sleep potions for the rest of the week. Normally, she wouldn't do so, but it seemed that Kim hadn't slept much in the last few weeks.

Once Harry laid down that night, he realized how tired he was and slept until almost noon. He got up and showered, noting that Remus and Sirius were half asleep in Kim's room in conjured arm chairs and started on breakfast. He knew they probably hadn't slept all night but would still be up once they heard him in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had been over once Kim was asleep and filled the refrigerator, promising to stop by with dinner.

Like any dog would, Sirius woke up at the sound of the bacon sizzling and walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "You know how to cook?" He said with a yawn.

Harry nodded absentmindedly. "For a housewife, Aunt Petunia wasn't one for housework."

Sirius sat down. "Wow. What a bitch."

Harry shrugged. "At least I'd know that I'd survive if they mysteriously disappeared."

"I used to think about what it would be like if my mum croaked too." Sirius let out a bark like laugh at the thought of his mother dead.

"Not dying," Harry said innocently. "Just if they went on vacation and never came back." Sirius snickered. They remained in comfortable silence as Harry flipped the pancakes. There were a million questions Harry wanted to ask but figured they would be answered once the curse breaker arrived. "Remus says your birthday is next week."

Sirius shook his head. "No. Next week isn't December fifth, is it?" Harry nodded. "Ugh! I'm old!" He ran his hands over his face.

"If only I had that in recording, Padfoot," Remus said from the doorway. He clutched a letter in his hand. "Albus said the curse breaker will be here in about an hour. I'm not sure if I should wake her up now or…"

Harry cocked his head to the side. "She might want to take a bath and eat before he does whatever they do." Remus sighed and went to go wake her up. Kim emerged from her room looking like she was still heavily under the influence of the potion but after a moment of staring at him and Sirius, scurried into the bathroom. "What's going to happen if she isn't under the Imperious Curse?"

Sirius looked down at the table and started fiddling with his hands. "She'll probably be in the hospital for a decade or two." Harry could clearly see the guilt on Remus's face but didn't know what to say to make him feel better.

Kim had refused to eat breakfast and just sat on the couch, waiting, biting her nails and looking distant. Harry noticed that her clothes hung loosely on her for the first time since summer. He didn't want to admit it, but the way she was acting certainly reminded him of someone with a mental illness. She had been acting weird since the beginning of school and was gradually getting worse. However, the Imperius Curse did make sense. She freaked out when Mad-Eye mentioned it and had asked Harry how to fight it. Everyone said Snape was into the Dark Arts, and he recognized it immediately.

Harry was surprised when Mrs. Weasley came around the time the curse breaker was supposed to arrive but then realized what was going on when Bill came through the floo shortly after her. He rubbed at the hair behind his head and smiled shyly. "Dumbledore thought it would be easier with someone you know." Mrs. Weasley nodded in agreement, but Bill looked like he thought this was a bit awkward. "I can slowly break the Imperius Curse, so it will take some time if it was long term. Therefore, I'm going to be at Hogwarts for the rest of the school year, considering the culprit is yet to be found."

After declining from Remus's offer for something to drink or eat, Bill took a step closer to Kim, who flinched, not sure what he was going to do to break the curse. "I'm going to start by getting rid of the urges to be violent. Legilimens won't work unless the caster is weaker than the victim. I'm sure Albus already tried." Kim stared at him with open hostility. "It's not going to hurt. I promise."

Bill started off by touching the sides of her head, causing Kim to flinch as if she was burned, but from the face Bill made, Harry could tell he hadn't even done anything yet. After she relaxed slightly, he closed his eyes and started mumbling words that Harry wasn't sure were spells or some other language. After less than a minute of this, Kim gasped and her nose started bleeding. Bill froze instantly, opened his eyes, and stopped. "That's not good."

"What do you mean?" Sirius said barely above a whisper while Remus rushed to get Kim a rag to stop the bleeding with.

Bill rubbed his chin with his hand, deep in thought. "I have an idea, but I've only read about it in textbooks." He looked over at Kim. "This could have nothing to do with the curse but have you ever learned complicated magic before turning eleven?" Kim frowned at him, not having a clue what that could have to do with it and wondering how Bill knew. "Learning certain magic too early corrupts brain development. This can result in anything from dyslexia to stunted growth, to, well, anything really." Kim gave him a look that said _you've got to be kidding me_. "Sometimes it can allow some curses to become…I guess the right word would be, embedded into your brain. They're just harder to remove, if that's the case. Because it's the Imperius Curse, you will sometimes think of the commands as your own thoughts. If you were under the Cruciatus long enough, you'd probably be in constant pain until a curse breaker came along. With the Imperius Curse however, if the commands are somehow released, you will suddenly display symptoms of someone with schizophrenia, like hearing voices constantly, which will probably make you have trouble focusing like many schizophrenics have. However, many schizophrenics aren't violent, but since your commands were violent…" He shrugged helplessly.

Harry went rigid. "I told her what it said in the textbook not long ago. That mediating helps you hear it. I would've asked her why, but she ran off and that night Krum was attacked..." Sirius stared in shock. Everything was right in front of them, but they weren't looking for the signs and just let them slip by.

"I never learned anything bad!" Kim yelled out. "I was just…." She looked at the ground. "Uncle Alexander always played with us after lessons, and no one ever wanted to play with us!" Bill frowned, not really understanding. "Ugh! Never mind." She stormed off into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Where do we go from here?" Remus asked cautiously.

"I can fix it, it'll just take longer. I think it would be best to never leave her alone at Hogwarts. I can tell that she was told to kill one of the champions, but that's about it right now." Bill looked over at his mother, who for once wasn't sure how to make everything better.

"Do you think she'll try to kill Harry?" Sirius asked. Harry frowned. Assuming that Kim was the one who attacked the other champions, she never so much as looked at him like she wanted to hurt him.

Bill shook his head. "I don't know if it was because she wasn't sure if the thoughts were hers or the caster's, but I didn't see her trying to kill Harry. I saw her doing the other things. That's what I see. Images of what she did and feels that she had while doing them. She was aware of it sometimes and not others."

Molly sighed. Whenever her kids had a problem, it was always something that could be solved by talking it out. Not for the first time, she thought that Sirius and Remus were way in over their heads. "I'll get started on dinner I suppose."

Bill came over every day for the rest of the week. He was able to lift the part about killing one of the champions, but couldn't so much as see what the other ones were. Kim usually had nosebleeds after every time but soon could last almost ten minutes without getting one. Bill said that was a good sign, but still was disappointed that he couldn't get to anything else. He knew the caster must have told Kim not to tell anyone about him or her, but unless he could see it, Bill couldn't do anything about it.

* * *

That Saturday morning, while Kim and Remus were still sleep, Sirius looked up from where Harry was making breakfast and said, "Let's go to the aquarium." Harry stared. "No, really. Just me and you. This week has been tough, and I'm sure they'll understand."

"Why the aquarium?" Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to go. He didn't want Kim to think he needed to get away from her, even if he kind of did.

"Why not?" Sirius took out a quill and drew a funny mustache on a picture of Fudge from the paper. "I asked Remus last night, and he spazzed out on the thought of leaving. However, he said we can go. Don't bail out on me too!" Sirius whined.

Harry bit his lip and looked at Kim's door. She'd been sleeping a lot anyway, which Bill said was from the stress of having the curse removed. "Only for a couple hours."

Sirius grinned brightly. "Excellent!"

They flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and then took a cab to the aquarium in London, Sirius bouncing in his seat like an excited five year old. The cab driver kept giving him funny looks as Sirius pointed out things like Muggle traffic lights and asked if they were filled with flames. Harry didn't have the heart to tell him that the cab driver must think something was wrong with him and just told him that he would have to talk to Mr. Weasley about it. Harry helped Sirius properly count the money for the cab driver and the tickets for the aquarium. Sirius said that he used to know, but it's been so long since he had to use Muggle money without Remus there to help him out.

Once inside, Harry wondered if Sirius had ever been to an aquarium. Harry hadn't either, but Sirius was looking around and gaping at the tanks like he'd never seen anything like it. He was bit disappointed when the dogfish puffer looked nothing like his animagus form, but Harry made him look at it until he could actually see the dog in it. Satisfied, Sirius ventured away to look at the sharks, moving so fast that Harry could hardly keep up.

Sirius paused while gazing at all the sharks. "How far out in the ocean do you think we'd have to go to find one?"

Harry looked up at the great white swimming over them. "Pretty far. But I don't think we'd want to find them."

"Where's your sense of adventure, Kiddo?" The great white opened his mouth, showing off all his teeth. "I hear Muggles pay to swim with these." Harry looked blankly at him and then burst out laughing. "What?"

"Dolphins, Sirius. They pay to swim with dolphins." Sirius looked through the map. "They're probably at amusement parks or something. They're really smart and can perform tricks and stuff." Harry smirked at Sirius's disappointment.

Sirius looked over at yellow seahorses and narrowed his eyes. "Lily always threatened to turn me into one of these, especially right before you two were born, and she was in a bad mood. She and Remus thought it was hilarious, but would never tell me why."

"You really need to read more." Harry grinned. "Even I know that, and I never went past the fifth grade."

Sirius gripped Harry's shoulders. "Tell me!"

"The guy seahorse is the one who carries the babies." Sirius looked at him, dumbstruck. "The female lays the fertilized eggs in the male, and he carries them until they hatch."

Sirius looked like he was counting in his head to calm down. "They were trying to kill me."

"Probably, since seahorses have thousands of babies at once. You'd probably explode." Harry was trying his best not to laugh at Sirius. He never once thought to look it up after almost fifteen years.

Sirius threw his hands up in the air. "Now that's just sickening. Remus is so dead when we get home. I mean yeah, I joked that Lily was bigger than most pregnant ladies, but that doesn't mean I deserve to have a thousand babies! And it was true! We just didn't know there was two of you in there!"

"I don't think they were really going to do it." A clown fish was staring at Sirius while he was having his outburst, making Harry wonder if they understood what they were saying. The snake in the zoo that time seemed to.

Sirius turned around slowly and said in a deadly quiet voice, "You don't know what those two were capable of, my friend."

They walked around for another hour, looking at penguins and lobsters and all sorts of other stuff. Once Sirius saw a kid with a giant lollypop, he declared, "It's time for lunch!" Harry smiled and followed his godfather as he nearly walked into tanks with the map in front of his face.

At the cafeteria, Harry felt his jaw drop. Maroon tailcoat, orange knickerbockers, straw hat, hell, they even were whacking each other with the canes. What were the odds? Smeltings was here on a field trip.

Kim shuffled into the living room at about two thirty, surprised to see that no one but Remus was around. He looked up from where he was placing photographs in what looked like murky water in rectangular containers. "Sirius's birthday is next week. I was going to ask you if you could get pictures of yourself growing up but…" He didn't want to say that her attempting to murder Moody was a bit of a distraction. "Anyway, Harry never had any so Bill helped me make what is called an Age Regression potion. I put in pictures of Harry and each container has a stronger dose of the potion. It should show what he looked like when he was younger."

She tilted her head to the side, seeing that the pictures were of Harry looking shyly at the camera. "I can get some pictures of me. Cole will find them."

Smiling, Remus put the last picture in. "I'll make more tonight while Sirius is asleep. He and Harry went out, so I figured that you and I could make dinner for everybody. Molly was a bit put out, but she agreed."

Kim perked up. "Really?"

"Really." Remus was glad that Kim didn't care that Harry and Sirius went somewhere without her and hoped that she wasn't afraid to leave the house. "I figured we'll make stuffed peppers—"

"And chocolate cake!" Kim seemed happier than Remus had seen her in a long time. Maybe Bill was helping her fight this.

"Yes, of course. What's stuffed peppers without chocolate cake?"

"Er, maybe we should come back in an hour." Harry saw the amount of food that Dudley was piling on his plate. "Maybe two," he added hopefully.

Sirius frowned. "Why? It's been like three hours since breakfast. Way too long!"

Of course, Dudley and his friends made their purchases and sat at a table right across where Harry and Sirius were standing. Harry grabbed Sirius's arm to try and steer him away, but it was already too late. "No way! It's Harry Effing Potter! Didn't think I would see your sorry face ever again!" Sirius turned around to look at Dudley. He looked beyond furious and his eye was twitching. Unfortunately, Dudley missed this sign because he was so used to authority figures thinking he was some sort of angel. "Dad said you want to live with two poofs and an American slut. Sooo, is this your new boyfriend?" His friends chortled in a very Crabbe and Goyle like way. Harry felt his cheeks burn as he realized his head was still on Sirius's arm. He slowly removed it.

Still, Harry found the courage to say coolly, "Better than a horse and a walrus." He tried to ignore the fact that Sirius was starting to breathe heavily with anger.

Dudley stood up, showing Harry that he gained a significant amount of weight since the last time he saw him. "Why don't you say that again, Potter? I'm sure this fairy can put your teeth back in after I knock them out." Harry didn't have the chance to, however, because Sirius punched Dudley right in the nose. Harry sighed. At least he didn't give Dudley a pig tail like Hagrid did. Harry imagined the surrounding Muggles would be in even more of panic then they were now.

Sirius stared at his bloody fist for a minute until he saw a Muggle security guard charging to them. He quickly grabbed one of Dudley's hotdogs and yelled, "Let's go!" They both ran off and lost the guards in the star fish exhibit.

Harry stared at Sirius while his godfather devoured the hotdog. "Want a bite?" Harry shook his head in a mixture of awe and shock.

"I've noticed that punching in the face is quite common in this family." Harry sat down on the floor next to Sirius.

Sirius shrugged. "It's what the cool kids do."

Harry laughed. "I'm sure Skeeter would love to write that article. _The Boy Who Lived's Godfather Recommends Punching in the Face Because It's 'Cool.' _ That was Dudley by the way, in case you didn't deduce it."

"Like father like son I suppose," Sirius mumbled, not looking Harry in the eye.

"I don't mind, you know, about you and Remus." Harry wondered if Sirius thought he was embarrassed by Dudley's words. "The Dursleys were always the ones who embarrassed me, actually."

"Oh, I know." Sirius looked over at a distant tank with a stingray. "I just never thought about people making fun of you for it."

Harry snorted. "Dudley's been calling me a poof ever since he found out what the word meant."

"Ah, so it was a well-deserved punch in the face then. I think many would call it _cool_." They spent about an hour finishing up in the aquarium, dodging the security all the way. Sirius managed to wash the blood off his hands in the bathroom next to the gift shop where they decided to buy Kim a stuffed penguin. Once in the cab, Sirius complained about hunger again so Harry told the driver to take his godfather to the wondrous place called McDonald's.

"Now, don't eat too much of it," Harry advised. "If you do, you'll be on the toilet within the hour. Trust me; I spent a decade living with two people who always ate too much." Sirius rolled his eyes and ordered, insisting that he had a stomach made of steel and ordered two burgers and a large fries for himself. "It's your funeral, Mate."

Luckily, they made back to the Leaky Cauldron without incident, though the floo did mess things up for Sirius a little bit. Back at the cottage, Kim was bouncing off the walls while a surprised looking Bill tried to have tea with Remus and Mrs. Weasley. Kim ran over to them. "Were you attacked like in the _Jaws_ movies? Did you see any puffer fish puff up? Did you see a lion fish? Did you see a manatee? People used to think they were mermaids back in the day…" She continued prattling on and on until Harry shoved the penguin at her, causing her to shut up in shock. Her eyes widened at the sight of it as if it were the Holy Grail, and she squealed, running back to her room to add it to her collection.

Remus stood up. "I made the mistake of letting her lick the spoon after we made a cake. Did you have fun?"

Before they could answer, Kim buzzed back into the room. "You might want to yell at the guy you bought it from because it's got blood on it!" She lifted up the penguin to reveal a tiny drop of blood under its right wing. Sirius groaned. Busted.

Remus raised his eyebrows at Sirius. "What did you do?"

Sirius opened his mouth to reply and then adopted a pained expression. "I have to use the bathroom."

He ran off, causing Harry to shake his head. "I told him." Remus gave him a questioning look. "We went to McDonald's." He said that as if that answered everything.

"Ew! He has to at least get used to it before he eats a Ron sized meal!" Kim exclaimed. "And I really have to pee too!"

* * *

Dinner was ready in two hours, and Sirius sheepishly admitted what he did to Dudley. Mrs. Weasley looked at him disapprovingly while her son couldn't stop laughing. Arthur arrived a few minutes later and absolutely needed to know all about Muggle aquariums. Kim tried to tell him that sharks could burst through the tanks at any moment, but Harry insisted that that was only in the movies.

Remus was still annoyed about what happened to Dudley by dessert. "What if Petunia wants to press charges?"

Kim stabbed her cake with her fork. "Then we'll make her mysteriously disappear!"

"Somehow I think that will make things worse."

"Then we'll counter sue her for, um…" She scrunched up her nose. "Their house smelled funny. Toxic fumes!"

Harry tried not to laugh. "You mean bleach. She hated housework, but she hated dirt even more. She'll probably be too afraid, if anything. She's not going to press charges, even though I'm sure Dudley will just tell her that Sirius randomly ran up to him and punched him in the face. Just like the time I _randomly_ locked him in a snake tank."

"Awesome!" Sirius grinned. "Please tell me the snake was still in there!"

Harry shook his head. "No, he was on his way to Brazil."

Kim shook Harry by his shoulder. "Story time!"

Sirius wanted to hear about every incident of accidental magic after that story. Harry talked about the shrinking sweater, his hair growing back, and flying. He also admitted to once turning Dudley's chocolate milk sour, but it was at school, so Dudley forgot by the time they got home, and he wasn't punished. Kim said she didn't have much accidental magic because she started learning spells as early as she could remember. She did remember once, however, turning Sylvia into a silver cow like the stuffed one in her room.

After that, Bill once again tried to break through some part of Kim's curse. She didn't get a nose bleed this time, but he still felt guilty about not making more progress. He could see something about someone being hidden this time, but nothing else. Bill also couldn't help but be embarrassed when his father was there, and he had made so little progress. However, Arthur smiled and said that he couldn't have been prouder of his son. Bill smiled, knowing his dad would have said that if he was a waiter at the Leaky Cauldron, as long as he was happy doing what he was doing.

* * *

Fleur was giving herself a tour of the castle on Sunday when she saw him. She couldn't believe it, but it was happening. Her inner Veela stirred within her, making Fleur want to yell out with happiness. It was him, her soul mate.

But how was she going to grab his attention? He was obviously too old to be a student, and her Veela charm wouldn't work on her soul mate. Would he still think she was beautiful? Fleur sure hoped so. Her mother had been right. This was the greatest feeling in the world, and it would only get better the closer she got to him. Fleur wondered what she was going to do. It wasn't like she could ask him to the Yule Ball if he wasn't a student here.

She suddenly found herself following him and stopped when she saw him talking with the girl who was under the Imperius Curse. So he must be the curse breaker. Fleur smiled sweetly when the girl timidly waved to her. If she made friends with the girl she could get closer to her soul mate. Fleur took a better look at him. He looked like that red haired boy who was always looking at her. They were probably brothers.

Fleur walked away after waving back to the girl. Now all she had to worry about was the Yule Ball. All those silly boys would be fawning over her, but they were nothing compared to her soul mate. Fleur stopped in her tracks when she realized the perfect plan. She had heard that that awful Skeeter woman had written that the Potter girl attacked Moody because of a psychotic break after her boyfriend dumped her. Fleur know that that was a bunch of crap, but what it told her made her plan fit together perfectly. She ran off to tell Gabrielle. This was so perfect! She and Gabrielle would make a new friend, and she had found her soul mate. Fleur knew she would remember this day for the rest of her life.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! In the Astronomy Tower, Sirius was asking Harry about going to the cottage. Please review!**


	14. Unexpected

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: I hope you guys don't think Fleur's plan is dumb… It'll all work out at the Yule Ball, which will be next chapter!**

Chapter 14

Fleur decided it was time to enact her plan when the Potter girl was alone with the black haired man. Madame Maxime said that the man's name was Sirius Black and was very protective of his family (almost annoyingly so), so Fleur figured he could help her out. After asking around, a girl named Cho Chang said that the girl's first name was Kim. Nervously, Fleur approached them later that day. "'ello. My name iz Fleur Delacour."

She immediately brightened up, reminding Fleur a bit of Gabrielle. "Hi! Everyone knows your name! Do you know mine?"

"Of courz. Kimberly Potter." Fleur couldn't help but grin at the girl's excitement. "I need you 'elp."

"Really?" Her eyes became wide like saucers. "I'll do it!" she said determinedly. "To make up for, well…" She looked at the ground in embarrassment, and Fleur remembered that it was Kim that put the glass in her eggs. At this point, Fleur didn't care though. She just wanted to get close to her mate.

Fleur anxiously looked at the window, noting a strange looking beetle crawling on it. "I am one quarter Veela. Because of that I am able to tell who my mate iz." Kim looked at her with anticipation while Sirius couldn't help but be curious. "My mate iz your curse breaker. I waz 'oping you would 'elp me get to know 'im."

Kim bounced up and down. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Bill teaches me Potions when he's not helping me 'cause parents don't want me with the other kids until the curse is lifted. Sirius and Remus teach me everything else." Fleur could tell that Sirius was outraged by the other parents not wanting her in the classroom.

"Yes. Well, I waz 'oping that you would 'elp me with ze Yule Ball as well." Kim looked like she was wondering why she wouldn't go with Bill. "I can't go wiz 'im! He izn't a student! It iz against ze rules! Plus, what if he doezn't want to go wiz me?" Fleur finished lamely. Part of her would always worry that Bill would never love her. She had to meet him as soon as possible to try to get rid of these worries. "I need to keep ze boyz away until he realizes he loves me."

Kim tilted her head to the side. "Why wouldn't he? You're the prettiest girl in the world!" Fleur blushed. "I don't know how I can help you with that anyway."

Fleur took a deep breath, never thinking she'd ever have to do anything like this. "Be my date to the Yule Ball." Sirius started gaping like a fish. "Pleaze?"

Kim pursed her lips. "I don't exactly swing that way, if you catch my drift."

"I know! Neither do I! I just want to keep ze boyz away." Fleur looked away, wondering how boys ever managed this. It took a lot of nerve to ask a girl out. Her palms were actually sweating a little! Fleur quickly wiped them on her pants. The beetle buzzed around excitedly.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Sirius said, "We want to keep the boys away too." Kim stopped on his foot, but he still snickered. "Sounds like a great idea to me." He smiled as if he thought of it himself.

Kim would have said no, but at that moment, Daphne walked by with Draco, holding hands. Little did she know, Draco was a rather unwilling participant, and they were in search of Theo. "I'd love to be your date." The beetle buzzed away happily. "On one condition."

"Anything," Fleur said automatically.

"I'm wearing a kimono."

After their chat with Fleur, Sirius and Kim met up with Remus to head for their Charms lesson. Why she was having lessons on a Sunday, Kim didn't know. Remus kept insisting that they needed to catch up for that week that was being lost, but Harry wasn't with them! Bill said that she couldn't be alone, but that didn't mean they had to do school work all the time! Kim wanted to see what all the fuss was about with the Muggle series _The Vampire Diaries_, but Sirius said that was for girls so he wouldn't read it with her, which led Kim to make Ron read it, who for the first time in his life read a book that wasn't about Quidditch. Sirius still refused to read it though, saying that Ron was an odd ball.

While Kim was in lala land about _The Vampire Diaries_, Draco was escaping from Daphne's clutches and doing his best to lose her while she was distracted at the sight of Theo and Looney Lovegood talking about strange creatures. He felt his heart skip a beat when Kim was talking a mile a minute with Black. Severus told him what really happened last week so he wouldn't get caught up in Skeeter's lies. With more courage than any Slytherin before him, Draco walked over to them.

He was met with Kim's icy glare. "What?" Remus shot her a disapproving look.

"I just…" Draco trailed off. Why couldn't she just see how he felt about her? "…wanted to know if you were okay."

Kim still stared at him coldly, thinking that Ginny had probably talked to him. "Well, I don't care what you want. Leave me alone."

She started to stomp away but still stopped when Draco yelled out. "Would you stop this? I mean, we both feel the same way. What's the problem?" He winced when he said that, since he knew the answer. Black started to laugh silently until Lupin hit him lightly on the back of the head.

Eyes wide with anger, she yelled, "You are going to be the death of me, I swear! Because they're going to execute me for the heinous way that I'm going to kill you!" Not a good thing to say in a hall full of people a week after you tried to kill the DADA teacher.

Draco ignored the people staring. "I still love you, you know! Daphne is a sexual predator, who uses me like a cheap piece of meat in order to get what she wants!" He shivered at all the times he was in the Common Room, and she just pounced on him to get Nott's attention. One minute he was reading the newspaper, and the next he was being kissed and touched like she was his longtime lover.

Kim's mouth twitched at his words, and she tried to choke out, "I hate…" But she couldn't finish and started laughing hysterically, walking away before he could say another word.

* * *

Harry sat in his room glaring at the egg as if it were the source of all his problems. Hermione and Ginny were bugging him to figure it out, and Harry didn't have the slightest clue about how to interpret screeching into what they had to do for the second task. Maybe he had to figure out some way to repel sound? He shook his head. That would be too easy.

Sighing, Harry looked out the window and spotted Hagrid with the shrewts. Frowning, he decided that anything was better than staring at the damn egg. He grabbed his coat and ran down the stairs. He had until February, and it was barely December. The egg could wait, though he was sure that Hermione and Ginny wouldn't let him procrastinate much longer. Harry shook his head at their concern for him as he checked the Map to make sure they wouldn't catch him sneaking away.

As it turns out, Hagrid was preparing to depart with the beasts. "They tried to eat Fang the other day," he said solemnly. "Fang is a good and loyal dog, he is. I won't let 'im be treated like that." Suddenly, he brightened up. "But Bill says that Gringotts would love to hav' 'em as guards. He works for them, you know. When he's not…" Harry nodded in understanding. "It's real good for them too 'cause they like dark places."

"What are we learning about next, Hagrid?" Harry asked hopefully. Maybe this time the creatures wouldn't be as dangerous.

"Doxies." Hagrid looked up at the trees. "Do you think we should learn how to make the antidote before or after introducing them?"

Harry grinned. "I think it would be best to make the antidote first. Imagine if somebody like Malfoy got poisoned. We'd never hear the end of it." Hagrid rolled his eyes and mumbled that Malfoy was a sissy. Harry laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon helping Hagrid pack up the shrewts. They were getting so violent that now they each had to have their own box.

It turned out that the males were the nicest and willingly came out of the box for a bleeding dead mouse. The females, however, were starting to lay eggs and were guarding them even if they weren't fertilized. Hagrid said they were maternal. Harry said (to himself) that they were crazy bitches. One jumped on his face for just going near its box! Harry fell to the ground screaming as Hagrid tried to coax it off. Luckily it only scratched him and decided to be merciful and not burn him. Hagrid finally managed to get it off after pretending to go for the eggs himself.

Afterwards, Harry was rewarded with some rock cakes and tea. Kim discovered that letting the cakes float in the tea for a few minutes made them soft enough to eat, so anyone who visited Hagrid adopted this practice. When Hagrid sat down, he asked, "So, how are things going with the egg?" Harry frowned. Curse that egg.

"Honestly, I have no clue what it could be! It just screeches!" Harry cautiously took a bite of rock cake. "What if I'm the only one who can't figure it out?"

Hagrid stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Is it in some other language?"

Harry blinked. "I don't know. I sure can't understand any of it."

"Some creatures communicate in ways that sounds like a big ole mess to us but is really beautiful to them." Hagrid laughed at the face Harry made, and then they talked about doxies until dinner.

* * *

While Harry was with Hagrid, Kim was about to have a Potions lesson with Bill. He was surprised when she brought a shy, round-faced boy with her. "This is Neville," she said simply. "He's bad at Potions but is too scared to ask Professor Snape for help! So I invited him to learn with us so he can be super smart for class!"

Bill smiled at Neville, who was looking at the ground, embarrassed. "Snape is very frightful indeed. Nearly cried my first lesson with him. I almost failed my first term but then learned to learn on my own and managed to bring my grade up to a low E. After that I got O's for the rest of my time at Hogwarts." This seemed to comfort Neville. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one that Snape got to.

Bill seemed to be teaching Neville more than Kim, who buzzed through her antidote like a pro. It seemed that Neville would panic and try to rush through everything, so once Bill got him to slow down, Neville was actually pretty good. The mistakes he made were simple like stirring the wrong way, but Bill knew that Snape would ridicule Neville in front of the whole class for them. They went through each step one at a time.

Kim finished way before Neville did but helped him chop up his ingredients instead of bouncing off the walls like Bill thought she would. They were just about finished with his potion when Malfoy strolled in. Kim stared right at him the entire time he was there, but Malfoy pretended not to notice. "Professor Snape wants her to do these by next week." He put a stack of about six assignments in front of Bill. "He wants to grade them since he knows you would go easy on her." His gray eyes flickered over to Neville, but he said nothing. Without another word, he quickly walked away and gently shut the door behind him.

Wide-eyed, Kim squealed, "Why did he ignore me?!"

"Because he's a Slytherin?" Bill had no idea what her problem was. Fred and George often wrote that Malfoy was a git.

"No! I'm me and he's him, so he CAN'T ignore me!" Bill had to say he found this girl very confusing.

Neville smiled at her once he added the last grain of seaweed powder to his potion. "Maybe he's doing it so he can get this reaction from you."

Kim kicked at the legs of the table, nearly causing Neville's first ever successful potion to spill. "Well, it's working! I'd rather fight with him!" Neville laughed, half wanting to take a picture of his potion to send to his Gran.

Draco grinned as he listened outside the classroom that Bill was using. It worked! Now all he had to do was the hard part: talk to his father. She still loved him. He was sure of it!

* * *

Kim smiled when she saw Bill staring at Fleur during dinner. "You rock her socks," she whispered to him, causing him to jump and spill pumpkin juice all over himself.

Bill looked around. Yeah, everyone saw that, but he was going to pretend that they didn't. "How do you know?" he whispered back even though everyone was clearly listening to every word they were saying.

"Because she is willing to date me for you." Bill stared. Ron was right. This girl is bonkers. "She doesn't want to go to the Yule Ball with any boy but you, so she's going to take me. She says students aren't allowed to bring adults, but I think she's just afraid you won't like her." Bill glanced at Fleur, happy to note that she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye while chatting with who could only be her little sister.

"I'd go with her," Bill declared immediately. Kim only shrugged.

"Students aren't allowed to bring adults because there was a ball about fifty years ago, and a fourteen year old girl tried to bring a forty three year old man." Kim wondered if Remus got that from _Hogwarts, A History_. "Needless to say, even though it was the forties, people weren't pleased."

"Ew! That's so gross." Kim was smiling even as she said it. "It's okay, Bill. I'll let you dance with Fleur if you're a chaperone. Until the Ball, Fleur's my girlfriend."

"That has to be the weirdest plan I ever heard of!" Bill exclaimed.

"It was Fleur's idea." Kim pushed her broccoli at the end of her plate, hoping Remus wouldn't notice that she wasn't actually eating them. "Besides, it's very creative. No guy will ask her out because they'll already know the answer."

"And no guy will ask _you_ out," Sirius said proudly. Harry cast Sirius an amused look, wondering what Malfoy would do when he heard about this.

* * *

The next day, the _Daily_ _Prophet_ announced that Kim and Fleur were dating. Harry was glad that the front page for once wasn't about him and actually read it without getting mad. It was about how Kim was heartbroken over the fact that Hermione preferred Harry so she ran into the arms of the loving and beautiful champion, Fleur Delacour. Kim didn't seem to mind though and was currently wondering if she should have the article framed when Pansy, Daphne, and Millicent approached them on their way to the Great Hall.

Pansy sneered at her. "Did you learn that from the wolf, Potter? There are rumors that he and the mutt are more than just friends." Pansy honestly could care less who Kim was interested in, but the look on Draco's face when he read the article that morning pulled at her heartstrings. Blaise said he must be wondering if what Kim felt for him was more than just a platonic love or not.

Bristling at the insult towards Remus, Kim said with open aggression, "Bitch, I have the right to date whoever I please, man or woman…Veela or human! Republican or Democrat!" Everyone around her looked confused at that last one. "The point is…um, Fleur is…cool?" she finished timidly.

Daphne laughed. "Clearly, you're just doing it for attention. And there's the fact that you're out of your freaking mind."

Kim looked at Daphne indifferently. "That has not been proven by a mind healer." Harry looked around helplessly. What would he do when Kim tackled or punched one of them? He couldn't pull her away without her probably kicking whoever she attacked in the face.

"Well, I think this is proof enough," Millicent said in her deep voice. Kim stared at her as if she didn't know that the girl could speak. "Such things are unnatural." Harry saw Pansy and Daphne exchange a look that said they thought that was too far, but still they stuck by their friend. So why were they doing this if they didn't agree with Millicent? Then Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing. They were sticking up for Draco.

Before Kim could react violently, Fleur strolled over to them with her little sister. "It iz unnatural to have such thoughts, you devil! Love iz for anyone, no matter who zey are! If I want to be wiz a woman, that iz my biziness. If you don't like it, you can go, as ze English say, shit in ze 'at. I do not care for your opinion, so keep it to yourself."

Millicent chortled. "Oh, we all know you don't care for our opinions. You're so stuck up and complain so much when you choose to be here." Fleur turned pink. "Maybe Daphne's right, and this is all for attention. You're probably desperate for it since Potter over here is sucking it all up because he can't stop crying about his parents." Kim raised her leg up to kick Millicent, but Gabrielle grabbed her arm, shaking her head in disapproval. Kim's eyes widened. She was a mini-Remus!

Fleur panicked. She didn't think people would make this much of a big deal out of this. She just didn't want to go the Ball with someone who thought they were going to get somewhere with her. Not really knowing what statement she was trying to make, Fleur grabbed Kim by her shoulders, spun her around, and kissed her on the lips.

Harry had to say the look on Kim's face was priceless. Her face was so red that she looked like she was going to explode and her eyes were as wide as saucers. Fleur quickly backed away. "There. I chooze to date Kimberly Potter now. She iz a very nice girl, and zere iz no reason why I should not be permitted to." The antagonists inched away awkwardly, and once they were out of earshot, an equally red faced Fleur said, "I am very sorry. I want people to feel zat way towards ze same sex to not feel disgusted wiz themselves because of zese bullies." With her head down, Fleur practically sprinted away, Gabrielle wide eyed and trailing behind her.

Kim turned to Harry, who was trying not to laugh. "I don't know what to make of that."

"Well, she is your _girlfriend_." Harry let out a small laugh at the annoyed look she gave him. "If you don't like it, just tell her not to do it again, that's all."

"I am never dating a girl again!" she whispered. Harry burst out laughing as they went in search of breakfast. Bill and Fleur definitely owed her big time.

* * *

Hermione was just on her way to the library when she saw him returning from St. Mungo's. He wasn't too badly scarred from the bubbles, and she couldn't tell until he came up to her. His skin was just a bit lighter in some places. "St. Mungo's really knows vhat they're doing." Viktor smiled. "Are you going to the library? I vas on my vay there myself."

"Oh, yeah, and Kim wanted to—"

"Apologize?" Hermione nodded, and he waved his hands as if it were nothing. "She cannot control it. Plus, it gave me a break from all those girls." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Vhat? You think I like it! They are most annoying. I vant girl who thinks, not…" He searched for the word. "Worships."

"Thinks?" Hermione snorted. "Oh, they're thinking. It's just that they are only thinking of the mysterious, handsome, Viktor Krum."

"You think I'm handsome? Even vith these scars?" Viktor couldn't believe his luck as the girl blushed.

"I-I, I mean…Surely you must know…" Hermione wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole, never to be seen again. She should have said no! Even if she did think he was… Hermione shook her head! No she didn't! She liked Ron! Her eyes widened, and she shook her head again. No she didn't! Banging her head against the wall was very tempting for the young Gryffindor.

Viktor chuckled at her display. "I like that you don't fawn over me."

"Well, then I'll continue not to." Hermione found herself laughing with him, albeit a bit nervously.

"Vould you like to read vith me?" He noted the look Hermione gave him. "I think I could use a break from the Tournament." She relaxed, telling Viktor that she was thinking of Harry Potter. "I am curious about this castle. I vant to learn more about it." It was true. He had heard about the Founders and found them very interesting.

Thinking of _Hogwarts, A History_, Hermione cheerfully said, "Oh, then I have the book for you!" Viktor felt his heart speed up with excitement. It wasn't every day you met a girl like this.

* * *

Sirius was gleefully leaving the kitchens where he was discussing new products with Fred and George. They were working on a lollypop that could change your skin into a certain color, depending on the person's mood. But that wasn't what was making him so happy. They had forgotten his birthday! That means he could avoid being thirty five for one more year!

He was just wondering if he should tease Moony for forgetting or be thirty four for another year when someone put a black bag over his head. Sirius struggled like there was no tomorrow when he realized that he could breathe through the bag. "What the hell?"

"Silence, Blood Traitor! I have been promised a delicious reward if I did this!" Sirius frowned under the bag as whoever it was started dragging him away. That voice sounded familiar.

Sirius yelled and tried to put up a fight the entire way up the stairs and wondered why no one in the hall at least _tried_ to save him. He could have sworn he heard kids laughing in the background. What kind of sick twisted kids went to this school? Surely they wouldn't be laughing tomorrow when his murder was on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_.

"Balderdash," the kidnapper said. Sirius couldn't believe his ears. He was going to be murdered in the Gryffindor Common Room? Harry and Kim would wake up to find his body! He started screaming. Maybe then someone would realize that this was not a prank. He then stood perfectly still and growled. Moony was definitely behind this.

The bag was just lifted of his head when everybody yelled, "SURPRISE!" Sirius was torn between yelling at everyone and pouting. Now everyone knew he was thirty five.

He looked over to his kidnapper. "YOU!" Cole Pendragon grinned, and Kim ran up to him to hand him a cupcake. He took a bite and gave Sirius a thumb up with the hand that didn't have the cupcake. Sirius raised his eyebrows at the rest of the crowd. How on earth did they manage to fit Hagrid in here?

Kim started shaking him as Harry and Remus walked up. "Remus says you wouldn't want to celebrate your birthday! What's wrong with you?"

"He's old, that's what's wrong with him." Remus smiled at the word _old_.

Kim spun Sirius around so many times that he hit himself in the head when he tried to whack the black dog piñata, but she spun everyone around like that. The only one who managed to do any damage was surprised Neville, who after hitting himself with the beater bat twice, hit the piñata so hard that the candy came out. Unfortunately, all the candies were products of Fred and George. Anyone who ate it either was various colors like pink, green, or purple, changed into a canary, or had a tongue that was swelling to become larger than their actual selves. Needless to say, Professor McGonagall was not pleased when Sirius tricked her into eating a Ton-Tongue Toffee.

After playing Pin the Tail on the Padfoot, Sirius was FINALLY able to open his presents. Harry was surprised Sirius wasn't whining about cake but figured his own tongue might still be a little swollen from the toffee. From the Weasley's Sirius got a helmet for his motor bike, which he was _slowly_ fixing up, and Sirius wondered if Remus was behind this. Being the foolish young kid that he was before Azkaban, Sirius never bothered with a helmet before. He grinned at the gothic look to it. It was pitch black and had a metal spike on it. At least Bill knew what it was like to be cool. Kim wouldn't stop laughing at him since he chose to wear it for the rest of the night, even though he said that it was just like her strawberry hat and mittens. Her eyes widened, and she ran upstairs to put them on. Hagrid gave him what appeared to be a furry winter coat, but Hagrid then told him it was made from the skin of Acromantula that had passed away. Sirius slowly put it on, not wanting to hurt Hagrid's feelings. Zonko gave him the same supply of dungbombs that Sirius used to get from the man as a kid and was surprised the old man remembered. He was currently in the corner chatting with Fred and George. Sirius was also surprised that Hermione got him something but wasn't surprised that it was a thick book. _Jesters through the Ages_, it was called. Sirius hoped it wasn't boring because he was sure that Hermione would ask him about it later.

It was the presents from Harry, Remus, and Kim that he was really looking forward to. He tore open his present from Remus like it was going to run away from him if he didn't open it fast enough. Sirius could only stare at it. "Where the hell did you find this?" It was a guide to mischief that James and Sirius tried to make from first year to third (before they got bored and gave up). It was full of all the pranks they pulled, how they managed to persuade teachers out of giving them detention, and how they found all the secret passages in the school.

Remus made a face that told Sirius it wasn't the greatest adventure he ever had. "I had to break into Grimmauld Place. And if digging through your moldy, dusty room wasn't enough, Kreacher attacked me half way through my search. He jumped on my back and thought I was trying to 'ravish' his mistress as he put it. Your mother has been dead for almost ten years by the way."

"Say you love it! Say you love it!" Kim gripped the edge of a chair that Professor McGonagall was sitting in and bounced up and down. "Remus was worried that you wouldn't love it!" Remus shot her a look that said _tattle tale_.

Sirius chuckled. "I love it." Remus smiled bashfully.

"Open ours next! Open ours next!" Kim chanted. "Harry said no, but I wanted a pink al—"

Harry quickly covered her mouth. "You'll spoil it! Ouch!" She bit his hand, but before she could do anymore damage, Harry quickly handed Sirius his present from them. He saw that Harry had allowed Kim to choose the wrapping paper though, which had pink kittens swatting at different color yarn on it.

Sirius opened it with just as much fervor as Remus's, wondering if it was just as sentimental. It was and amazed him just as much as Remus's did. It was a scarlet photo album with 1981-1993 painted on it in gold. Sirius didn't really feel comfortable looking through it with everyone gawking at him, but curiosity got the best of him and he looked through the first few pages.

He was astounded by how familiar the pages he looked at were. Pictures of Harry at different months like 20 or 24 months looked so similar to the baby who he used to spend so much time with that Sirius resisted the urge to stare at Harry until he could see the baby or toddler in him that he once was. Kim wasn't a massively overweight baby anymore in the pictures since she didn't have Remus to give her chocolate until she fell asleep from fullness, but she still acted the same. She hit tired looking, miniature Calvin in the head with a rattle and ran through a field naked while the house elf Molly chased her around with a diaper and a t-shirt. When she noticed him laughing at that, she sent Cole a particularly nasty look.

For once, Sirius honestly didn't know what to say. He knew Remus was behind the pictures of Harry since Sirius had bugged the boy for the nonexistent photographs all summer, and Remus said that there must be a way to figure out how to make them. "I…"

"You love it!" Kim filled in for him. She narrowed his eyes to say that he was dead meat if he didn't agree.

"Yes, I love it." Sirius noticed that Harry's shoulders relaxed in relief, making Sirius wonder if he thought that it would make him sad for what he missed.

A few minutes later, Hermione and Ron rolled in a cake that looked so much like his animagus form that it startled Sirius. He raised his eyebrows. "Now I know what that sixteen hour Defense Against the Dark Arts emergency class that Harry and Kim absolutely had to attend was about."

Harry smirked. "The mixer could be used as a weapon, as Mad-Eye would say."

As anyone could have guessed, Sirius and Ron ate cake until they almost passed out. The icing was vanilla with food coloring while the cake part was marble. In a sugar rush, Kim jumped on Harry's back and tried to force him to the ground, screaming that she was Madame Pince, and he had an overdue library book. Harry fell to the floor to try to get her off, but she wouldn't until he yelled back that he was Dumbledore and could take books out as long as he wanted.

As Fred and George were trying to get permission from the real Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall to hang a disco ball, Cole stood up, stretched, and said goodbye to Sirius and Remus. "I got some plotting to do in the Forbidden Forest. I will probably be in the Hospital Wing tomorrow hoping for visitors." He brushed cupcake crumps of his usual black suit.

Kim looked up from where she was arm wrestling with Neville. (It was unclear who was winning.) "What kind of plotting?"

They seemed to have a stare down for a moment, the arm wrestling at a standstill, until Cole dryly said, "Nefarious plots that would make any grown man cry for mercy."

"But I'm not a man. You can tell me!" Kim shot back.

Cole's eyes were twinkling with mischief. "Both of those statements are debatable. Let's just say that I'm kicking ass and taking names." Remus looked up at the ceiling, torn between sighing and smiling. The boy had gone the whole day without cursing and started once he was leaving. At least it was one of the more mild swears.

"Hey! Cole Pendragon! You're really mean! I'm telling your mom!" Cole laughed silently, waved, and left.

Dumbledore smiled as the portrait swung shut behind him. "What an interesting young lad."

Sirius sighed happily and started to drift off from all the food as Kim started telling Dumbledore all the evil stuff that Cole has ever done. She was half way through the time he put worms in her hair when she was seven when Fred and George challenged Sirius to try their new candies that made you have scales for five minutes. He jumped right up, and once again, Sirius ate them until about three in the morning and even got Harry to join in a few times before he passed out in his sleep. He woke up with fluorescent green lipstick on and "Birthday Boy" written on his forehead in blue letters, feeling happier than he had in a while.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please Review!**


	15. Christmas Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: So like a dumbass, I thought the Yule Ball was Christmas Eve, so the Yule Ball will be NEXT chapter, now that I fixed everything up. I'm too much of a nerd to let something like that slide so I would have been pissed at myself if I put the Yule Ball before Christmas and then found out what happened later. So, the Yule Ball gets its own chapter and Christmas is in this one.**

Chapter 15

Ginny was surprised when Harry set up a little date for just the two of them in the kitchens the Friday before a Hogsmeade weekend. It was just out of character for him, and Ginny could tell by his face that he felt really awkward. She smiled at the red table cloth and Dobby dressed up as a fancy waiter. What was he up to? Sniffing at the roses in the middle of the table, Ginny asked, "So what's up?"

Harry blushed. "Well, I was, er, wondering if you would like to go the Yule Ball with me?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble. Hell, you didn't even have to ask."

Harry stared. "Are you serious?" Dobby brought them their dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. "I'm going to kill her…"

"Kim." Ginny covered her mouth to try to hide her smile.

He threw the napkin he had on his lap on the table. "She said that if I just assumed we were going together that you would get mad, and I needed to be really romantic when asking you or you'd dump me."

"And you fell for it?!" Ginny was openly grinning now.

Harry shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean she's a girl like you, and sometimes I think you guys have your own secret code."

Still smiling, Ginny put her hand on Harry's and said, "Why, Mr. Potter, I would love to attend the Yule Ball with you." Then she leaned in to kiss him, glad that he went to all the effort even if he didn't have to.

* * *

Ron was in, well, deep shit. Everyone had dates for the Yule Ball in his year except him. Even Neville scored a date with Padma after he showed her how well he could dance. Who was he going to ask? Every time he tried to ask out a girl, his mouth went all dry, and he wound up walking away. An hour later, the girl would be all giddy because some brave soul managed to ask her out.

He scanned the Great Hall. Surely, there would be at least one nice looking girl who didn't have a date. Ron bit his lip when he spotted Susan Bones. Not his first choice, but at this point, he was desperate. All his friends had a date. Even Hermione had a date and had stopped talking to him after he got on her nerves from asking who it was so much. "Hello." Susan looked up at him in surprise that Ron understood. They had never really spoken before. "I was wondering…I mean, I figured if we both don't have a date that…"

Susan's face softened. "Oh, I'm sorry. Justin already asked me. I understand how you feel though. I was so worried! My cousin doesn't have a date." Ron perked up. "But she's a first year." Ron sagged in disappointment. "She isn't that bad!"

"But she's a first year!" Ron whined.

Susan shrugged. "First year or no date. Unless you had someone else in mind?" Ron sighed as if the world was coming to an end. "That's what I thought." Susan pointed her out. "She's over there. Ask her yourself. It'll make her happy." Ron suddenly grinned triumphantly. "What?"

"She's taller than Kim!" Susan rolled her eyes. Boys.

"So may I ask why we are going to the library during lunch?" Remus was all for it but it wasn't every day that Kim begged him to make a detour to "The Book Dungeon" as she had taken to calling it after Madame Pince yelled at her for laughing too loud.

"Because I'm looking for Cho Chang, of course!" Kim scanned the library with an excited grin. "I want her to help me find a kimono!"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Don't you think that's a little presumptuous?"

Kim blinked at him. "Why?"

"Just because she's of Asian descent does not mean she will be able to help you find one." He hoped Kim wasn't going to offend her.

Kim pursed her lips. "Well, there's only one way to find out." And then she marched over to the other side of the library where Cho was studying Charms with Cedric.

Cedric was about to whisper to Cho that she looked beautiful today when Kim sat at their table, staring at them and waiting for them to finish. He cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Nope." She smiled in amusement at Cedric, who was awkwardly wondering why she was sitting there staring at them. Kim relieved him from it after a minute. "I need Cho's help."

Cho tried not to her smile. "What do you need? I don't think another flying lesson is going to work out."

"Remus thinks it would be racist to ask you, but do you think you could help me get a kimono for the Ball?" Kim blinked at her several times and gave her a puppy dog face.

Cho giggled. "It is a little racist, but I'll help you anyway." Kim started to buzz with excitement. "Hogsmeade is this Saturday so I'm going to get a dress myself. You can come if you want. I'm getting an Oriental dress too, but it's going to be a bit more fitted than a kimono."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kim hopped off the chair and quickly dragged Remus out of the library. "Now it's time for phase two!"

"Phase two?" Remus found it hard to keep up as she raced for the kitchens. The full moon was in a little over a week and his bones were starting to ache. He wouldn't tell her this though.

"Sirius said no Hogsmeade for four times, and yes! I remembered!" Kim tickled the pear on the portrait and raced in.

Sirius grinned. The plate in front of him was piled high with lasagna. "Bill saw Harry holding Ginny's hand so I decided to abandon him for the sake of my digestion."

"He's going to kill you," Remus stated.

"I know, isn't it great?" Sirius said wistfully. "Our first argument."

Before Harry could come storming in, Kim stood up straight and said in her best British accent, "Sirius Orion Black, I request a boon of you."

"Um…"

"She means a favor, Padfoot." Remus took a seat, wondering if Sirius was ever going to pick up a book.

Sirius folded his hands on the table. "I suppose I am willing to listen to what you have to say." He hoped she could ask before his lunch got cold.

Kim jumped down and pulled on his leg until he almost fell out of his seat. Sirius grunted in annoyance. He had a feeling she wouldn't let go until he said yes. "Please! PLEASE let me go to Hogsmeade and get a kimono with Cho Chang! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! If not I'll have to order one and who knows if it will fit or how long it will take to get here or if an owl poops on it or if I'll ever live my life's dream of wearing a kimono! PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!"

Sirius gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't you be allowed to go to Hogsmeade?"

Kim swiftly jumped up and stared back, wondering if he was joking around. Once she realized that he had honestly forgotten, she quickly said, "No reason! Bye!" She got up and ran off. Remus shook his head as he hurried to chase after her. Sirius couldn't help but think that he had forgotten something but at that moment, Harry came into the kitchens, and he did not look too happy.

Harry watched Sirius dig into his lasagna, trying to keep himself from seething. "Bill chased me down throughout the castle! I only now just lost him!"

"It really couldn't have been that bad." Sirius just thought he would be pranking his godson, allowing Bill to give him the Big Brother Talk.

Harry sighed dramatically. "He said never to touch Ginny ever again, and then Ginny said the most horrible thing she could have said ever." Harry felt his cheeks burn as Sirius waited patiently. "She said, 'I could do anything I want with Harry right now if I wanted to!'" He mimicked a girl's voice when he said it. "Bill looked so angry that I thought steam was going to come out his ears, and then he started chasing me like he was going to beat me up! And I didn't even say or _do _anything!"

Sirius chewed thoughtfully. "What I think you're going to have to do is lead Bill to believe you're asexual." Harry scowled at him. "Okay, fine! Maybe I can get Fred and George to calm him down… Until then, I think the bell is going to ring soon. Do you have your invisibility cloak?" Harry shook his head. "I suggest you get it in case he hunts you down in between classes." Harry nodded solemnly and got up to sneak to Gryffindor Tower. It was only when the portrait was securely swung shut behind him that Sirius took the opportunity to laugh until he started choking.

* * *

Bill finally cooled off by dinner time, allowing Harry to finally be visible outside the classroom. Fred and George managed to convince Bill that it had been a prank all along and that Ginny didn't even know what sex was. How they made him believe that, Harry would never know. He was just glad to be able to eat with his friends. He'd get Sirius back later.

It was just Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Kim heading to the Tower that night, so Sirius didn't get to have a conniption when Malfoy walked up to them. He frowned at Kim, who frowned back at him. "Are you really a lesbian like the paper says?" Ginny giggled into Harry's shoulder.

"Only during school hours." Kim smiled at him like that made perfect sense.

"What do you mean only during school hours? We live at school! Every hour is a school hour!" Draco didn't know whether to laugh or cry out in frustration.

"Oh." Kim considered this for a moment. "Then only until after I walk in with Fleur at the Yule Ball."

Draco turned pink. "Then I'll talk to you after that." Kim stared at him, expecting him to say something else. "I'll have a surprise for you. You'll see." He walked off without another word.

Kim turned slowly to Ginny. "Are you behind this?"

"If I was, he'd be demanding that you 'break up' with Fleur so you could go to the Ball with him!" She made air quotes at 'break up'. In Ginny's opinion, Draco shouldn't even have had to ask if Kim was a lesbian.

"He has Daphne!" The jealousy was clear in her voice. Ginny rolled her eyes as they headed up to bed, hoping that she would be able to find the perfect dress tomorrow. She had been saving up her pocket money for this ever since her mum told her she would need a dress. Mrs. Weasley could afford to give her daughter ten galleons, which Ginny was grateful for, but she wanted to make sure she could find the perfect dress.

* * *

Draco felt like he was heading to the gallows that Saturday morning. He was ditching Vince and Gregg at the candy store so he could talk to his parents. He honestly had no idea what they would do. Halfbloods were most certainly not as bad as mudbloods, but they still weren't purebloods. Surely they wouldn't do anything rash like telling Kim to stay away from him, would they?

Draco sat down in Three Broomsticks and waited, half wanting to see if Madame Rosmerta would give him some wine or something to calm his nerves. No, no. He decided against it. His parents wouldn't be too pleased to come in to find him with alcohol. Silently praying that no Gryffindors would come in, Draco opened his eyes to see his parents approaching. _Well, here goes nothing._

"Draco! We've been eagerly awaiting to spend some time with you!" Narcissa wouldn't stop smiling, and for a second, Draco thought she knew what he was going to talk to them about.

"Yes, well, I need to speak to you about…something." Draco looked at his parents. His mum clearly knew something, but his father was as clueless as ever. "You see…I've had feelings for—"

"Oh, yes, we saw you and Greengrass that day on your way to school. I hope you let Pansy down easy," Lucius said, proud that he was up to date with his son's life. Narcissa concealed her giggle in her teacup.

Draco shook his head. "No, not her…" _It's never been her!_

Lucius looked around in shock. "Good God, son, you get around! Please don't tell me it's that Bulstrode girl!" Lucius shuddered at the thought.

Draco felt equally repulsed. "No! I'd be gay before that happened!"

Lucius frowned but then quickly plastered on a fake smile. "So, you're gay?" Narcissa was turning purple from trying to hold in her laughter. "We will always love you no matter what! I promise you! I just always hoped for grandchildren..." Lucius suddenly brightened up. "Maybe you can adopt a blond child with gray eyes! At least then you can pass on the Malfoy looks." Narcissa could hold it no longer and started laughing so hard that the surrounding occupants became quite. "Cissy! How could you make fun of our son during such an important moment in his life?"

Draco pounded his fist on the table in frustration. "I'm not gay, dammit! I'm in love with Kimberly Potter!" Draco went rigid, once he realized what he just said.

Lucius bit his lip. "I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid she's the one who not interested in the opposite sex. I saw it in the paper." He shrugged and asked the waitress for a butter beer. "It wouldn't have worked out anyway, since she's a halfblood and Harry Potter's sister." Lucius looked off into the distance, remembering the time Russell kept her under the Cruciatus Curse until she wet herself._ And she's damaged goods._

Draco grunted in frustration. "She isn't! She told me so! I don't know why she's doing it, but she is! She said she's just walking in with Delacour and that that will be the end of it. And then I'd like to get back together with her!"

Lucius stared at his son for a long time. "I do not approve." Draco mentally started preparing for the argument. "However, it is not my place to make such a decision for you. She has done nothing to make me think she would hurt you. I only ask for one thing." He paused, seeing the hope in his son's eyes. "Have no contact with Russell Pendragon or his wife and mother." Draco nodded without hesitation.

When Draco turned to Narcissa, she shrugged with a smile and said, "I knew since your birthday dinner." He gaped at her. "What do you expect? I'm a Black."

After spending the rest of the afternoon with his parents, Draco looked at his father cautiously. "There's one thing I want to ask you…"

* * *

Kim, Cho, and Gabrielle were patiently waiting for Fleur to pick out her dress robes while Bill was practically drooling at the sight of her. Every dress robe that Fleur tried on had to be approved by Bill, and then the poor guy was grilled over which one was better and why which one was better. He didn't seem to mind though and just blushed whenever he stuttered too much, which was a lot. Kim wanted to slap him. She was so close to getting a kimono, and Bill was being less smooth than Ron. Ron! The boy who was going to the Ball with a first year and talks more often with his mouth full than not. If Bill had just told her that she looked awesome and perfect in any of the dress robes, Fleur would have bought them immediately, even if they were florescent pink with greenish brown poka dots.

They were in there for about an hour when Russell came in, causing Kim to stare at him with wide eyes like a chicken that was about to have its head cut off. He smiled at her, showing all his teeth and looking like he was about to laugh. "Missed you too, Sweetheart. Now. Where's Calvin?" She stared to shake but remained silent. "You know, that Lee boy was right. Muggles are amazing. I've even started to follow their ways of life." His face lost all humor. "Now I use power tools."

Turning a pasty green color, Kim managed to choke out, "I don't know where he is."

Russell sighed and crossed his arms. "I need him back. Cole has taken over the family funds since me currently being away from home so much and childless makes him the legitimate heir. My mother doesn't care, as long as she gets her monthly check, but that boy… everything about him is wrong. He's spent thousands looking for that bitch and has opened an underground clinic for werewolves in need." Again, Kim remained silent but was starting to get confused. Cole wouldn't open up a clinic. That was something Agatha, the girl he was looking for would do. What was he playing at? "So I'm going to ask you again. Where is my son?"

"I don't know." Kim was doing her best to keep up her Occlumency but felt it wavering a bit. She wasn't _good _at it, but she had been learning it from the age of nine to twelve so she was experienced enough to keep her walls up for at least a short period of time._ That was probably what Bill meant about learning complicated magic too young…_

Russell put his chin in his hand, as if studying a fascinating specimen. "You and Sylvia are dead to me. Do you want to make that a reality?"

When she still said nothing, he slapped her so hard she fell to the ground. That finally tore Bill away from Fleur, but it wasn't him who came to the rescue. The windows suddenly exploded but didn't harm anyone except Russell. A large shard managed to lodge itself into his cheek. Gabrielle took a step forward. "You stay away from her." The shard magically sunk in deeper. He yelled out in pain. "She ez my friend, and I don't like my friends getting hurt." All the pieces of glass floated up into the air, all pointed at Russell. "Leave."

Russell stood up and ripped the shard out of his cheek. He turned to Kim, who was just uneasily standing up. "Don't be surprised if you have to go to a funeral soon. Alex killed my son, and I can just as easily kill his." He threw the glass at Gabrielle's feet and stormed off.

Everyone was quiet until Fleur threw open the dressing room door. "I am choozing ze mint green and blue onez." She looked around at her shaken friends. "What did I miss?"

Kim rubbed her cheek, knowing it was going to leave a mark. "Nothing. Gabrielle is just a boss."

Fleur frowned. "Ez that a good thing?" Kim nodded, trying not to sniffle. At least she could get her kimono now.

* * *

Later that night in the Common Room, Harry asked, "What happened to your cheek?"

"What do you mean? Why do you have to be so damn perceptive?" _If looks could kill…_ Kim made a face as if he had pointed out some minuscule detail.

"You taped a poorly drawn strawberry to it," Harry remarked drily. It didn't take a genius to notice it.

"Poorly drawn! I worked very hard on it!" She fingered the leaves that were smudged with eraser marks. "Fine." Reluctantly, she took the strawberry off to reveal a light blue round bruise. There were five little ones around it, leading Harry to believe it was from a hand. "Just don't tell Sirius. I'll put makeup on it tomorrow. There was just no sense in doing it so close to bedtime!"

"So you got in a slap fight with someone?" Harry honestly thought this Hogsmeade trip was a bit boring. Their Christmas shopping was done last trip, and the girls didn't want them to see their dresses, so Harry and Ron kind of loafed around the joke shop, helping Remus and Sirius give old Zonko a break. Now, that wouldn't have been all that bad, except for the fact that Ron complained the entire time that he was going to the Ball with a first year. Harry had resisted the urge to tape his mouth shut. If Ron had that much of a problem going with a first year, then why wouldn't he just go alone? Luckily after Ginny bought her dress, she had set Ron straight, saying that she was going to kick his ass if he ruined that poor girl's night.

Kim shrugged. "My dad showed up looking for Calvin, and I refused to tell him." She bit her lip, debating whether or not she should continue. "Cole's up to something. I'm just not sure what, but one thing I do know is that I'm going to somehow get sucked into it."

"How?" Harry ran his hands through Ginny's hair. She had fallen asleep in his lap after a long day for searching for the perfect dress, and Harry had a feeling that he wasn't getting up for a very long time.

"Because!" She mimicked Cole in a deep voice. "_You're my slave and have to do whatever I say. Remember what I did for your wolf? I can just as easily revoke it!_"

Harry looked around to make sure no one was listening and lowered his voice. "He wouldn't do that though, would he?"

"You know what? I don't know." Kim crumbled up her strawberry and threw it at Ron, who was playing chess with Seamus. "If he thinks he absolutely needs me to get Agatha back, then yes."

"Who?"

"He _loves_ her. She was taken the night Sylvester…" Kim shook her head. "Anyway, he's been going nuts all this time trying to find her. And now he's found a way to get control of the family funds." She shrugged again. "I don't know. Some ancient wizarding law I guess. So my dad's mad about it because Cole is doing some stuff he doesn't approve of with it. I don't understand what exactly he's doing or why he's doing it. All I know is that it's some way to find her."

Harry frowned. "I'm sure Remus would explode if you were anywhere near a werewolf pack."

Kim winced. "I hope I can use Cole as a human shield."

* * *

Fleur was sound asleep the next day when she had the wind knocked out of her. Thrashing around blindly, Fleur started shouting for help in French. "Quite! Do you want to wake everyone up! It's eight in the morning! And Sunday!"

Fleur opened one eye. "YOU!"

"ME!" Kim was beaming at her, and Fleur saw Gabrielle in the background, all bundled up in snow gear and excited. "It's snowing! The first snow of the winter! We gotta play!"

"How did you even get in here?" When it was snowing, all Fleur wanted to do was drink hot chocolate and curl up in bed with a good book.

"That is irrelevant! _But_ if you must know, I used a spell to widen the chimney and shimmied down like Santa!" Kim slapped her with a strawberry mitten. "_Come on!_ Bill's out there!"

Fleur sat up so quickly that Kim nearly fell out of the bed. "Why did you not tell me? What I am going to wear? What about my hair? Oh my God!"

"You wear a coat and put on a hat because it's cold, dummy! Now come on! Before I tell Bill that you're too snooty to play with us!" That certainly got Fleur out of bed.

Outside, they fought an organized snowball fight that quickly turned unorganized after Kim and Gabrielle started a civil war between each other. Kim shoved her to the ground after the girl smashed the fluffy snow into her face. Bill and Fleur slinked away once the girls were wrestling in the snow. "Gabrielle 'az alwayz 'ad trouble making friendz. I do not know why she is so shy."

Bill smiled as Kim tried to bury Gabrielle into the snow. "Ron used to be like that when he was small. I think she just feels like she can never be as great as you."

Fleur turned to face Bill quickly. "But she iz so much better! 'Er English iz almost perfect, and she iz a lot more polite! She iz more…down to the earth."

"Maybe she looks up to you so much that she can't see it." Bill always felt bad for Ron but never knew how to make his youngest brother feel like he was special.

Fleur opened her mouth to say something but stopped, looking around. "Where did zey go?"

Bill narrowed his eyes. Hopefully this was some form of a joke and not because of the Imperius Curse. Surely, Sirius would murder him if he lost Kim. "Guys! Joke's over! It's snowing really hard!" He felt like his heart stopped when Fleur screamed.

"This izn't funny!" Bill turned around slowly to see Fleur covered from head to foot in slushy snow, and Kim and Gabrielle rolling in the snow laughing. "I tried really hard to make my hair beautiful!" She looked over at Bill, realizing what she just said and blushing furiously. "I-I mean…"

Kim crawled out of the snow. "Fleur wants you to think she's pretty!" she exclaimed in a sing song voice.

Bill took a deep breath, trying not to turn red. Nothing was going to happen unless he tried to make it happen. "I think she's pretty no matter what her hair looks like." Fleur beamed while Kim and Gabrielle giggled.

* * *

The _morning_ of the Yule Ball and Christmas, Kim was awakened by the smell of hairspray, nail polish, and makeup. She spluttered. "Ah! What the hell guys?"

Lavender emerged from a cloud of hairspray. "What are you doing sleeping? It's nearly two! The Ball is in only a couple hours!" Kim frowned. Yeah, like six hours from now.

"Okaaaaay. Well, I'm going to get some cake." Kim stretched, wondering why Remus didn't demand that Hermione wake her up. She'd find out after a shower.

"Cake? You'll be all bloated for the Ball!" Parvati exclaimed.

"Not true! I hope you guys faint from lack of sugar and toxic fumes! And then, I hope that once you get into your dresses that you both have to pee really bad and have to get undressed and start all over!" And with that, she stormed down the stairs. The only thing she was doing this early for the Ball was shaving her legs.

After her shower, Kim hopped into the Common Room to find all the boys bored out of their minds. "Somebody come with me to get cake!" Ron, of course, whined that they were waiting for her for _hours_, thinking that she was spending all this time getting ready for the Ball. Kim smirked at him, glad that he got up early to open presents for nothing (and also glad that they waited for her). "Does your mother know who you're going with tonight?"

Ron glared at her. "She's actually nice. Her name is Emily, and she traded Wizard Cards with me!"

Kim shook her head. "Ronald, I'm not sure if this is legal."

"Nothing is going to happen! Come on! I get enough of this from Fred and George. At least she's not a troll like Millicent." Kim snorted.

"I'm assuming you're going to want breakfast," Remus stated, smiling at Ron's groan of impatience.

"Cake!" Kim was just about to start laughing at Ron when Dobby appeared, wearing socks up to his thighs and carrying a tray of cake and a few glasses of milk. She blinked. "That was convenient."

"Dobby is happy to help on Christmas! Harry Potter gave Dobby a pair of socks and so did his friend, Ronald Weasley!" Dobby smiled and pointed to the mixed matched socks he was wearing. Kim gave the boys a look that said she was on to them.

Suddenly, she perked up. "Do you like hats, Dobby?" Dobby nodded eagerly. "Good. Because I got a hat that I have no use for!" She ran up the stairs, ignoring Ron's protests and came back with a plastic crown that said Burger King on it. "I st—_borrowed _this from a statue at Burger King. I was going to send it to Lee, but the people at the hospital said no, and I forgot all about it!" She walked over to Dobby and got on one knee. "Dobby, I crown you king of the burgers. I hope you use your power for good and not evil." She placed the crown on his head gently.

Dobby beamed. "Thank you! Dobby will!" With a pop, he was gone.

Ron narrowed his eyes as Kim started on her cake. "You're bonkers."

"No way! I stole that with good intentions!"

Remus looked at Kim with mock confusion. "I thought you _borrowed _it."

Kim bit her lip. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione stole from Professor Snape in their second year!"

Harry grinned. "But that's like stealing from Satan. Besides, we had a _real_ reason. It was a matter of life and death." Sirius nodded in agreement but didn't look too happy about the life and death part.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She flicked her wand so everyone's presents floated over to them. "Like them or die."

As if a horn went off to signal the start of the race, Ron started opening all his presents as quickly as possible. Everyone else more or less shrugged and started opening theirs. Kim had to hide her present from Sylvia, who decided it would be funny to send her black, lacy lingerie. When Sirius forced her to let him see what it was he looked like he was going to throw up. The look on his face made Ginny's day though. Sylvia's present to Harry though was not so amusing to her. It was a _Playboy _magazine that Ginny threw into the fire at the sight of it. Sylvia left one card for the both of them that said, "The Potter babies are growing up!" Ron couldn't believe that Percy likes her. Calvin and Cole were even worse, both sending them bottles of Firewhiskey. Harry couldn't help but be glad that they forgot to send stuff last year. It was pretty awkward having them confiscated. Luckily, Lee seemed to be the only sane one of the group, who sent Harry another book on becoming an animagius, and Kim a book for ten year olds, teaching them the basics of DADA. She scowled at that one.

Harry and Ginny, being the totally in love people that they were, got each other pretty much the same thing. Ginny had gotten Harry a magical wristwatch with everyone's faces on it while Harry had gotten her a digital one from the Muggle world. Kim thought it was just sickening as Harry and Ginny laughed bashfully and tensed up when Ron started making gagging noises. Her and Ron were on the same page! What was the world coming to? With a pout, she threw the underwear from Sylvia in Ron's face.

Hermione had gotten everyone books, of course. Kim laughed triumphantly at the sequel to the first _Vampire Diaries_ book, and Ron frowned at _Planning Your School Year Day by Day_ but wouldn't let Hermione know that it would probably save his life come time for finals. Harry got _101 Languages of Magical Creatures_ and wondered if that was some kind of hint. Stupid egg. Remus and Sirius received _Pranking: The Safe Way_ and _The History of Spells_. Hermione was given _Women in Magical History_ from Ginny, _The Hobbit_ from Kim, a box of sugar quills from Ron, _Beauxbatons, A History_ from Harry, and two Transfiguration textbooks from Sirius and Remus.

Mrs. Weasley sent the usual sweets and jumpers to all and sent a letter telling Harry, Remus, Sirius, and Kim that they were all still too skinny. Kim pouted, insisting that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be happy until they were all fat like Ron. This lead to Ron yelling out "Oy!" and the two of them bickering for ten minutes.

Sirius insisted that a necessary part of every kid's childhood was to have a steady supply of dung bombs so Remus provided everyone with a spray that will get rid of the smell and help out in the war that he was sure would come from them. Remus (Sirius couldn't handle it at the moment) also ventured into what was left of Godric's Hallow. He gave Kim a charm bracelet that Lily used to wear that had tiny charms of odd things like cauldrons and roses. She fingered it warily, as if it would crumble to dust if she held it the wrong way and slowly slid it on. She fidgeted as she said thank you, not really knowing what to say. Harry was given a box of odd things that James had collected over the years: interesting looking rocks, concert tickets, pictures of Lily throughout her Hogwarts years as she realized he was taking them and became angry and started yelling at him, lines he had written in detentions, and to do lists. They would have been junk to anyone else, but to Harry, it was clues to who his father was.

Ron gave everyone sweets as usual, making Ginny glad she didn't get Harry a box of chocolates like she was going to. Kim bet Ron that he had a sugar addiction and couldn't go without them for the rest of the day. Ron lost the bet by evening and had to take the blame the next time Kim got in trouble for passing notes in class. He hoped that she forgot by the time she was _allowed_ back to class.

Ginny got Kim some yarn and crocheting needles, promising to teach her how to make her own stuffed animals. The house elves helped her make different cakes for everyone else, since she ran out of money after Harry's and Hermione's presents and her dress for the Yule Ball. She was surprised by how many different kinds of cakes existed and wondered how her mum knew how to do all this stuff without house elves or cookbooks.

Kim gave Harry cloak that hid his face entirely (by magic of course). Anyone who looked into it would only see darkness. Harry honestly thought it was creepy, even though it would be useful if he was anywhere without his invisibility cloak. She bought Ginny a blue summer dress with matching flats. Ron got a creepy chocolate carving of his face. Sirius got a box of cookies in the shape of dog bones, and Remus was given an easel for painting.

Remus, almost reluctantly, gave Sirius a gift card to get a tattoo at a parlor in Hogsmeade. Instantly, Sirius started listing all the different tattoos he was thinking about getting. They ranged of everything from a stag to phoenix wings on his back. Harry and Kim took one look at each other and burst out laughing, but Sirius didn't understand why.

Sirius presented Remus with what appeared to be a pair of gloves. Kim was just about to state that he could have been more creative, when Sirius said, "It's charmed to let you touch silver. They become invisible once you put them on." Sirius knew how embarrassed Remus was with not being able to buy things with sickles. People always looked at him funny when he had to pay in nuts or galleons for something that was a few sickles. When they caught on to the reason why was worse though. They looked horrified and scourgified the money as if they would catch lycanthropy from touching something Remus touched.

Before Remus could stutter 'thank you', Sirius yelled out, "MEMORY TIME! I lined up my favorites last night." He heaved the Pensieve on the coffee table and looked around at everyone. He smiled. "_Engorgio._" The Pensieve grew so everyone could look in.

_They were in what looked like a small flat where Lily and James were sitting at a table with two plates of burnt food. Lily's eyes were twinkling like Dumbledore's. "Last year you forgot Valentine's day." She looked down and smiled at what appeared to be burnt stake. "And now you have Remus play chaffuer, Sirius playing waiter…" Sirius stood next to the table in a tuxedo and a bottle of wine. "And apparently Peter was the master chef."_

_James shrugged. "I had to make him feel important somehow. Waiter Black is ordering pizza." James looked at the younger Sirius expectantly as the poor man scrambled over the phone in the living room._

_Lily rested her head in her hands. "Poor Pete can't do anything right." She blushed. "Sorry love, something about him just rubs me the wrong way."_

_James grinned. "That's what I feel about that horse you call a sister." Lily threw a dinner roll at him. "Ow! That's still frozen in the inside you know."_

"_The main course will be arriving in thirty minutes orits free," Waiter Black informed them. "Until then, how about a burnt cake that is smoking in the oven?"_

_Lily rolled her eyes. "Why'd you give Pete the hardest job of all? I glad he tried but come on guys! You should know better."_

_Suddenly, James looked really nervous. "Sirius! You better get out of here or I'm gonna, I'm gonna explode or something!" Sirius snickered and scurried away. He stood up, shaking slightly. "Lily?"_

"_Yes?" She looked torn between curiosity and trying not to laugh._

_James gulped. "Will you—"_

_Sirius suddenly walked by. "Sorry! I just got really thirsty." He picked up the bottle of wine he left behind and walked back towards what must have been the bedroom. Before he could get in, however, James ran up to him and kicked him right in the ass. "Hey! I said I was sorry!" But there was a mischievous look in Sirius's eyes that told everyone that he did it on purpose._

_Red faced and breathing heavily, James slowly walked over to Lily. When he got on one knee, Lily covered her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. "Will you marry me?" She was at a loss for words and came over to jump in his arms. James hugged her and yelled out, "Hey Sirius! Eighth time's a charm!" Sirius could be heard cheering in the background._

As the memory started shifting Ginny raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "_Eighth _time?"

Sirius nodded proudly. "He would propose to her every school year on the train home." Ginny rolled her eyes.

_Lily sat at the wheel of a car, Remus in the passenger seat. "I can do this." She took a deep, nervous breath. "I can do this."_

_James suddenly popped out from the backseat, causing Lily to yelp. "Lils! You can do this."_

_Lily turned around. "Get out of here! You'll cause nothing but distractive driving!"_

_James grinned cheekily. "If this is going to be anything like how you ride a broom, it's a sight worth seeing, babe."_

_Lily glared at him, turned around, and floored it. James immediately feel back, screaming like a girl as Lily went down the empty road at at least 100 miles per hour. She started laughing manically as James wouldn't stop screaming and Remus kept yelling, "SLOW DOWN! SLOW DOWN!" Once they reached a road without any cars, Lily instantly slowed down and started driving like a normal person, using her blinkers and everything._

_Lily stopped at a red light and said calmly, "If anyone needs to throw up, tell me so I can pull over please." No one dared to say a word. "Good. Now, I was thinking I would learn the parallel park next." She smiled at Remus, who was looking slightly green. "Okay with you, teach?" Remus nodded, knowing that if he opened his mouth in the next few minutes that he would lose his lunch. The light turned green, and Lily went on to drive until she found an empty parking lot. She parked and looked at where James was lying on the floor in the back. "Want to get out and get some fresh air while Remus teaches me?" James nodded sadly, like a little boy who just got yelled at._

_The next memory was of Sirius and James playing chess in what seemed to be a house instead of the flat from before. Pettigrew was eagerly watching them, waiting for James to make his move that would either make or break him. Remus was only half paying attention, opting to read and roll his eyes once and a while. It reminded everyone of Hermione._

_After a few minutes of James staring at the chess board and Sirius smugly saying he was going to lose, Lily walked in, looking rather tired with a grocery bag in her arms. Still, she had a bright smile on her face and set the bag on the coffee table. "You'll never guess what I found out today!"_

_James only waved off. "In a minute Lils! I'm going to beat Sirius any minute now!" Sirius huffed like he didn't believe him._

_Lily's lip quivered, but James didn't notice. "B-but it's super important!"_

"_It can't be as important as this!" Something flashed in Lily's green eyes telling all that were looking that it was a thousand times more important. Unfortunately, James was too busy staring at the chess board as if it would make the move for him._

_Remus frowned at how upset Lily was getting. "Maybe it's time to take a break, Prongs."_

_James tore himself away from the chess board. "This is the game of the century! Once I beat Sirius at chess, that means that I am the perfect chess player, and therefore, the perfect man."_

_Lily picked up a couch pillow and hit him with it repeatedly, ignoring his yells of protest. "You are not the perfect man because you are a horrible, rotten father!" Then she burst into tears and ran out the room._

_James stood up, wide eyed. "Did she just…?" Sirius stared at the bathroom door she just slammed with an open mouth. Pettigrew looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head._

_Remus gave him a look like he'd better start planning his own funeral. "Yes, she did. And you just told her the announcement of her pregnancy wasn't as important as your chess match against Sirius."_

_James gulped. "I thought so." He went to make his way over to the bathroom but fainted before he could take two steps._

_Sirius looked down at James's limp form. "I don't know why he was trying so hard. All he had left was the king and two pawns."_

_Remus shook his head. "I think you would get on Lily's good side by leaving him there."_

_Sirius looked cautiously at the bathroom door. "First round at Three Broomsticks is on me!" They ran out the room before Lily could come out to yell at James._

Remus cast Sirius a dark look as the following memory came into view._ Lily was eight months along and curled up, sound asleep on the couch when two Marauders crept up to her, giggling silently like school children. Sirius was behind the couch with a long feather while James went over to Lily's hand with a can of shaving cream. The younger Remus was reading the newspaper. When he saw what they were doing he tried to shoo them away, but Sirius only jokingly gave him the finger._

_Before he could start laughing hysterically, James filled the hand Lily had draped over the couch with the shaving cream. Grinning from ear to ear, Sirius tickled Lily's nose with the feather. Making a face, Lily used the shaving cream filled hand to try to get the feather off her nose. She opened her eyes wide when she realized what they had done. She got up as quickly as she could and pointed at James. "YOU! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE I'VE HAD DECENT SLEEP?! WELL? DO YOU?"_

_James grinned. "But Lils! You've been so grumpy lately that we figured you could use a good laugh!"_

"_A GOOD LAUGH! IS THAT WHAT YOU—" Lily made a pained expression and gripped her stomach. "James! They baby's coming," she gasped. James started gaping like a fish, trying to form words while Sirius looked as guilty as he should. "Get the bags, quick!" Both rushed up the stairs, knocking each other over to get the two duffle bags that had been up stairs. Lily smirked at Remus. "Jokes on them. Help me up. Let's go to the library."_

_Remus grinned. "They're going to be worried sick."_

_Lily conjured a rag and wiped her face. "Good. We'll stop at Molly's for dinner, just to make them squirm." The two went out the door as fast as Lily could manage, leaving James and Sirius to floo for the rest of the day to every hospital in Britain and Scotland._

Hermione frowned at Sirius as they were heading for the next memory. "You two were real jerks."

Sirius shrugged. "It seemed funny at the time. We learned our lesson though. James had panic attacks at the last three hospitals."

"That's where I get that from!" Kim wasn't sure if she liked James. They were WAY too much alike.

Remus smiled sadly. "Anxiety can be inherited, but there's no way to tell."

She pouted. "Harry has her temper!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!" Harry was just about to argue some more when they were show their first Christmas.

_The twins were five months old at the time, so they were so tiny that they both of them still fit in James's arms. Lily smiled as she put a bottle in each of their mouths. "I swear Jamie, you better learn to share those two! How are they going to make friends when they're older if you won't let them go?"_

_James gave Lily a condescending look. "Why would they need friends when they have me?" Lily rolled her eyes. "Well look at it this way, you carried them for nine whole months! You've had them for way more time than me. It's my turn."_

_Before Lily could reply, the doorbell rang. She stomped away, grumbling that it wasn't James's turn when they had a full diaper. "Oh my God, Padfoot! You're going to scare them." Lily sounded like she was trying to lecture him but ended her last sentence with a laugh._

_Sirius walked into the room dressed as Santa Claus and had Peter trailing behind him dressed as an elf. Remus seemed to have refused to dress up, but the minute he set foot in the living room, Sirius stuck a fake pair of antlers on him. He scowled._

Kim opened her mouth, but Sirius hissed, "No, that was not my real weight!"

"_Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!" Harry started giggling immediately as Kim's eyes filled up with tears. James tried petting the orange poof of her hair, but she started bawling soon after. Harry stared at her for a minute, fascinated, but then seemed to be used to his sister's melodramatics and started giggling at the fat man in the white beard again._

_Shaking her head, Lily picked Kim up and took her out of the room for a few minutes. Meanwhile, 'Santa' managed to steal Harry away from James, causing the rare sight of James without a baby in his arms. He threw Harry up in the air, glad that Lily wasn't there to see it and that Harry was laughing nonstop. After Harry started to spit up a bit, James tossed him a rag as Sirius sat in the armchair, placing Harry on his lap and making sure to hold his head up. "Well now, little boy, what would you like for Christmas?"_

_Harry stared at Sirius much like he stared at Kim before, both fascinated and attempting to soak up every detail. After a moment of what seemed like intense speculation, Harry tugged at Sirius's fake beard as hard as he could, revealing his godfather underneath all that white fuzz. Squealing with delight, Harry let go of the beard, causing it to snap back in Sirius face. The "Ah!" that was accompanied by it seemed to be the most hilarious thing that Harry had ever heard, so the boy kept doing it until Sirius pulled small plastic mirror from his sack. Harry looked at the mirror for only a few seconds before putting it right in his mouth, still captivated at Sirius's transformation._

_By the time Kim had calmed down, Peter was being a good elf and handing out presents. She seemed happier to see and recognize him than she did Sirius but still whacked him on the head with the rattle he gave her. The only person she was completely calmed down with was Remus, after he took off the antlers, that is._

_Soon enough, the room was scattered with toys and both babies were sound asleep. James was trying to convince Lily to try his special eggnog while Lily lectured him on the importance of staying sober while breastfeeding. Peter left, muttering that his mother shouldn't be alone on Christmas. Sirius was half asleep with a stocking over his head and his beard and the pillows he used to stuff his red coat mixed among the toys. Remus was trying to clean up the disaster that was the Potter living room. All in all, it was the best first Christmas a baby could ask for, once a certain someone got over the fact that Sirius could transform himself into an old fat man at will._

Kim pouted as the appeared back in the living room. "They didn't even draw on you!"

"Maybe because they are…" Sirius shot Remus a look. "_Were_ good people. Although you managed to swing one to the dark side."

"Actually Padfoot, if I recall correctly, you woke up the next morning half naked on Petunia Dursley's front doorstep. I'm sure her shrieks were a wonderful sound to wake up to." Remus grinned as Sirius's eyes widened at the memory.

"What the hell? Can't I guy lose consciousness without having to keep his guard up?" Sirius looked at them all in mock disgust.

"No, of course not," Harry said, smiling. "Constant vigilance, Sirius! How could you have forgotten?"

Rolling his eyes, Sirius looked at his watch. "You have about two hours before you have to start getting ready." Hermione scurried up stairs to work on her hair. Sirius snickered. "Any requests?"

They spent the rest of the afternoon seeing everything from Lily and James's wedding to James transfiguring Lily's textbooks into red roses on Valentine's Day first year. They saw Harry calling Sirius "Momma", and Kim throwing Peter's rat form across the room. Kim's favorite was James's awkward conversation with Mr. Evans when he asked if he could (seriously) propose to his daughter. Harry's was when Lily made funny faces at them while reading _The Cat in the Hat_, but out loud he said Sirius and James showing him how to ride a toy broom. Harry had to say that he was glad to hear his parents' voices in a different situation than what he heard from the dementors. Knowing that he would probably say this every year, Harry had to say that this was the best Christmas ever.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please R&R!**


	16. The Yule Ball

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 16

By the time Kim scrabbled up to get ready (a good hour before the Ball), Hermione was just finishing with her hair, making her gape with awe. "Your hair looks so soft, Hermione. Can I touch it?"

Hermione smirked. "You get creepier by the second." But, still proud of the two hours she spent on it, she gave in and let Kim pet her silky, for once straight, hair.

Kim hopped down the stairs two at a time in her red and gold kimono, hoping Ron wouldn't notice that she had lifts in her shoes so she could at least be almost close to Fleur's height. The gold was the flower patterning while the dark red was the main color. She had cut her hair again, so it was a short bob with bangs. She wore getas so the lifts, even though charmed to look wooden, were noticeable. Ron and Harry, however, were gone, leaving Kim to stalk Ginny to find out what dress she picked out. "Ginny! You look like the ocean!"

Ginny smiled (and didn't stop smiling for the rest of the night). "I hope that's a good thing!" The top of her dress was a fitted dark blue and the skirt was wavy was a mixture of light green and blue. It was covered in sparkles but not so much that it was gaudy. Her hair up in a bun, but a few ringlets curled out. Ginny absolutely shined.

"Am I the only one who went with traditional dress robes?" Hermione wore dress robes with long sleeves that were loose and a light purple. The skirt of her dress was also that color, but the top was a lacy black. She wore a necklace that was a dark purple rose with silver edging around it.

"Hermione! Your date isn't ever going to give you back, and since we don't even know who he is, we'll never be able to find you!" Kim whined.

"Your compliments are the weirdest I've ever heard!" Ginny hugged Hermione. "You look amazing!"

Hermione blushed. "Thanks! You two both look beautiful too!" Kim brought her hands together and bowed. Hermione giggled.

Kim pulled on Hermione and Ginny's arms. "Come on! Let's go! I told Colin Creevy that I would take a picture of Harry's face when he saw Ginny!" She pulled a shrunken camera out of her pocket.

After Kim got the picture of Harry's awed expression at the sight of Ginny, she spent a good ten minutes taking pictures of anyone who was shocked at Hermione's beauty. Krum's was the best, and she wondered if she should send it to Rita Skeeter, to keep all the girls off the Quidditch player's back. He stared at her with his mouth open, and when he could finally form words, they were all in Bulgarian. Finally, Professor McGonagall walked over to her. "All the champions are waiting for you, Miss Potter." She tapped her foot impatiently but couldn't conceal her smile.

As they walked out, Fleur was already scanning the crowd for Bill, making Kim glad she didn't have any romantic feelings for her. If she did, that would have really sucked. But she doubted any boy would notice. Whenever they "talked" to her, they spoke a bunch of nonsense and just gazed into her perfect face. _At least they kept their eyes up_, Kim thought drily.

Kim covered her mouth with a cough to hide her laugh at the sight of Theo. He was obviously infatuated with the girl he brought as his date, but her head seemed to be in the clouds. Kim knew she should be jealous, but it was clear that Theo wasn't going to get nowhere tonight. She'll be jealous later. Or maybe (hopefully) someone would give her reason not to be jealous at all. Theo tried to hold the girl's hand, which she held, but only for a moment to return the handshake she thought she was receiving.

The sight of Draco made her laugh out loud though. He looked like a kicked puppy as Daphne tried to sit in his lap, her eyes glued to Theo as she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. Kim wondered if Draco was going to cry. He looked torn between that and pushing Daphne right off him.

She sat at the table with all the champions and their headmasters for about five minutes before she decided that she'd rather hang with Gabrielle. Fleur had found Bill and wouldn't stop staring in his direction. Harry and Ginny were in their own little world. And Krum was practically slobbering over Hermione. It wasn't fun when you didn't have a date of your own. Well, a real date that is. The rest of the people at the table were too old. With a sigh, Kim stood up and said, "I have to go…brush the lice out of my hair." Hermione shot her a Remus like look of disapproval. She shrugged. It was only a joke. She skipped away, and Bill quickly filled her seat. No one could stop Bill from being Fleur's date now. It was too late to say it was against the rules. Kim wondered what Skeeter would think of this once she found out. At this point, the woman's story was about a love pyramid instead of a love triangle.

"Hey." Kim plopped down next to Gabrielle, who was enjoying a dinner of crepes and vanilla ice cream. "You can get dessert for dinner!" Gabrielle nodded with a smile. "Best party ever." The two ate ice cream and crepes, making fun of everyone who had dates and telling stories that were not for the dinner table.

"Where on earth did you learn your manners?" Remus and Sirius sat down next to them just as Kim was telling the story of how she put a flaming bag of dog poop outside Sylvia's bedroom door when she was eleven.

"Calvin," Kim stated with a smile, firmly placing her elbows on the table.

"That explains it."

Sirius scanned the crowd, jokingly putting his hand over his eyes like a lookout on a ship. "Anyone see Ron and his jailbait?"

Kim and Gabrielle looked at each other and sniggered. They pointed to the other side of the room where Ron was slow dancing with Emily. She had big glasses and bright red curly hair, but Kim and Gabrielle agreed that she was pretty. She just needed to walk (strut as Kim said) with more confidence. Ron looked like he wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed or not. Emily had her shoulders hunched a bit because of her shyness but clung to Ron like he was her knight in shining armor.

When Draco FINALLY managed to slink away from Daphne, he was surprised at how hurt she was by his rejection. It wasn't like they had anything, and whenever they really talked lately it was always about Theo. He told her that if she wanted Theo that all she should have done along is tell the guy how she felt. Daphne started wailing that she wasn't good enough, and Draco tried to say that she was, but Daphne just screamed at him to go away. Draco was ashamed that he was grateful to comply.

He walked over to the table were Kim was sitting with Black, Lupin, and some little girl. She stopped laughing and said, "What now?"

Bravely, he smiled and said, "I just want to see your face when it happens."

"When what happens?" Kim looked at him suspiciously, making Draco's smile only wider.

After only a minute, Lucius Malfoy walked over and cleared his throat. "Kimberly…_Potter_? Maybe I have this dance?"

Kim looked like her brain shattered into a million pieces. She looked from Lucius to Draco and back several times, like they just pulled a prank on her that she didn't understand. Her face was blank and surprised at the same time, like someone threw ice water in her face. Gabrielle nudged her to try to make her go. She opened her mouth to say no, but stopped when Sirius did it for her. Shooting him a look that said he was dog meat, Kim sweetly smiled and said, "I would love to."

She stood up, and Lucius exclaimed, "What the devil are you wearing?" Draco slapped his forehead in frustration.

"A kimono." Kim looked at him as if he were stupid.

Lucius straightened up and said, "But of course." He took her arm, and they walked away.

As they made their way to the dance floor, Narcissa bustled over to their table. "Mum! What the hell?!" She wore a blood red dress that would have been fashionable in the 1800s. The lace was black, the bodice made her waist smaller than Gabrielle's, and the skirt was so large what it made one wonder where her legs where.

She sat down in Kim's old seat, sighing in relief at not having to haul around all that dress. "If I'm going to be in a place where all your friends are, darling, I might as well embarrass you. It is what any good mother would do." Sirius laughed, and then the two stared each other down, acting civilized towards each other for the first time since Sirius's first year was not going to be easy.

Lucius spun Kim around, but if one looked closely, neither one of them appeared to be having a good time. "You are potentially ruining my bloodline that has been pure for over a thousand years."

Kim made a face that said _oh well_. "As long as I get what I want, I don't care."

Lucius's mouth twitched. That would be something Cissy would say. "So, what is it that you want?"

Kim paused. "I'm not exactly sure. I'm fourteen! Not forty!" She bit her lip to keep from smiling. "But I do love him. Just don't tell him! He was mean to me this summer!" She pouted at the memory.

"How so?" Lucius knew that Narcissa would not be happy if Draco treated a girl poorly, no matter her blood status.

"He said that I had to pretend to not be his girlfriend so he wouldn't disappoint you, which leads me to believe you're a big fat jerk!" She glared at him, daring him to say otherwise.

"Am not!" Lucius blushed at his childish behavior. "Look, to be honest, I have a big problem with your… lineage. But I think my son is old enough to make his own decisions. My father was always very controlling, and I don't want to suffocate my son."

Kim pursed her lips. "Okay then."

Lucius raised his eyebrows. "That's it?"

"Yup." She nodded, and they stopped dancing. "I'll see you later then." And then she skipped away, leaving Lucius staring after her.

Lucius walked away after the song ended and sat next to his wife. Draco stared at him anxiously. "What?"

Draco threw his hands up in the air. "What do you mean what? How did it go? Where did _she_ go?"

Lucius waved his hand in the general direction that Kim left him. "Oh, over there. She is very… interesting." He decided to order stake. He would have sat at another table with Narcissa, but he could see that their presence was annoying the hell out of Black. Draco started to hurry away. "Oh and son?" Draco stopped in his tracks. "Don't try to predict my behavior. It makes me feel old and, well, predictable." Draco rolled his eyes and hurried away.

Sirius growled. "I hate you both." Gabrielle stifled her giggle. These people were crazy.

Narcissa grinned. "But you don't hate my son?"

Sirius pushed his fork around his plate. "I don't _hate _him. But I would strongly dislike him much less if he could keep his paws off my goddaughter." Remus decided that now wasn't the best time to point out the Kim and Draco were silently slipping out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Ginny was dragging Harry to the dance floor when Cedric decided to give Harry a hint about the second task. "Take a bath," was all he said at first.

Harry frowned, and Ginny leaned over to sniff him. "He smells rather nice, actually." Harry blushed while Cho laughed into Cedric's dress robes.

"No! I mean…" Cedric looked around to make sure no one was listening. "It might help you with the You-Know-What."

"What?" Cedric sighed. This was why fourth years shouldn't be in the Tournament.

"You know! The _egg_," Cedric finished in a whisper.

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! That was the last thing on my mind actually." Cedric stared. This kid was a goner.

"Yes, well, um…You might want to get on it, so you can, you know _live._"

Harry smiled. "Usually something comes to me at the very last minute. Worked out great last time, didn't it?" Cedric nodded with wide eyes and walked away slowly, deciding in his head that Harry Potter was definitely going to find himself in deep trouble.

* * *

Once the doors of the Great Hall shut, Kim was wondering what to say to Draco. It was so quiet. But he spoke first. "I think that was better than an apology, although I am sorry." He looked at the ground.

"Maybe I was a bit of a brat…" Kim looked at the ceiling. "I just wish you didn't even think about that I was a halfblood. I wish you saw me as an equal."

"I do! I was just afraid my father wouldn't." He looked back up at her, his eyes pleading with her to forgive him. "I thought he would make me break up with you when I didn't want to. I thought he would expect me to treat you like I was above you. I mean, I've always looked up to my father, and his approval means a lot to me."

"I feel like you got half of an approval." Kim gave him a small smile.

"Good enough for me. He's not mad or disappointed, just annoyed, I think." Draco felt his face heat up. "Can I kiss you?"

Kim laughed silently for a moment. "You didn't even say anything about my dress? And you expect a kiss? I will not unless you tell me how pretty I am."

"That is so messed up." He chuckled. "You look like the most beautiful girl in the room." Kim pushed him with a smile. They were the only ones there.

"Okay. You may kiss me, Sir Draco." He barely gave her enough time to finish her sentence. Electricity shot through them as the kissed their way down to the dungeons to make up for lost time. When he could break away from her, he twirled her around, laughing as the music in the Great Hall was becoming fainter and fainter.

Breathless, Draco practically threw her on the bed. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.

Almost reluctantly, Kim put her arms around his waist and whispered in to him, "I love you too." Again, she kissed him.

With shaking fingers, Draco opened Kim's kimono, feeling like he was on fire at the sight of the slinky white skirt that she wore underneath. His finger traced the lace at the top. She giggled nervously. He was just lifting it up when he heard, "Are you going to be in my dorms every winter, Miss Potter?" Draco felt like he was covered in ice water. "Detention for the rest of the year and two hundred points from Gryffindor." He jumped off the bed, glad that he didn't yelp and faced his godfather, who killed the mood worse than the thought of Vince and Gregg eating. "I'm sure Lucius will be happy to hear about this, Draco. I'll lead you out, Miss Potter, before the wolf and the mutt come charging down here."

Kim hopped off the bed and following Snape with her robe still open. She couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

Daphne felt like an idiot for crying. It wasn't like her stupid plan would ever work anyway. Theo couldn't be jealous if he had no feelings for her. So now she was sitting alone, at a table in the corner while everyone else was having the time of their lives. Pathetic. What was she doing? Crying for some lanky nerd while he was enjoying his date with Looney Lovegood. Daphne sighed. But he was her lanky nerd, or at least, she wanted him to be. She dabbed at her eyes, frowning at the running mascara and wondering if people were laughing at her.

"Um, excuse me?" Daphne looked up to see a tomato red Longbottom.

"Buzz off, Longbottom. There's a dessert table not far from here." There was no way that Daphne was going to let Neville Longbottom of all people feel sorry for her.

"Actually, I was going to ask you to dance, but if you're going to be mean about it..." He still looked extremely embarrassed but held his ground.

"Why? So you can laugh with your friends about it later. Forget it. If you wanted someone to make fun of, you should have gotten a hold of a first year like Weasley." Daphne felt guilty about the harshness of her tone but at this point, was willing to act like Snape to get Longbottom to go away. She didn't even care if he cried. She just wanted to be alone to wallow in self-pity.

"No," he said slowly. "It's just…I've always…admired you, I guess. You always stick up for yourself, and I never do. And you are I guess the right word is… amazing. Everything you do seems to amaze me somehow. Like when you ask questions in class when you don't understand something. You aren't embarrassed to not know, and you keep asking until you do, even if you know everyone else understands. You're braver than I'll ever be. So I was wondering…" He said this all in a rush. "It doesn't matter. I just figured that it would be worth a shot since Malfoy's left…"

Daphne stared. All this time she was trying to make Theo jealous, and she was making Neville Freaking Longbottom jealous. That's absurd! There's no other way to describe it. He, the Gryffindor, was supposed to be repulsed by her, the Slytherin. He was supposed to make snide comments about her that she would gladly return. He was supposed to think she was evil while she thought he was a blubbering baby and a noble idiot. She watched him turn to leave. "Wait!" She quickly wiped the makeup off her face and blew her nose. If Theo wasn't going to like her, she shouldn't waste her time on him. "One dance couldn't hurt. But that's it," she added sternly.

He blinked at her as if he couldn't believe his ears. Then, he held out his arm for her to take and led her on to the dance floor. "That's cool." Daphne could tell that he was trying to sound like it didn't matter. He was a bad liar. She couldn't decide whether it was sweet or pitiful.

"Soooo…" They were dancing slowly to a song that people were jumping around and going crazy to. This was getting awkward fast. "What gave you the courage to ask me to dance? Because from the sound of things, you've sort of been stalking me for a long time."

Neville laughed nervously. "My date told me to stop staring and ask you to dance. And then she ran off to dance with a boy from Durmstrang." Daphne chuckled.

"So there were all these beautiful girls twittering around, and you couldn't take your eyes off the sniveling pile of misery and angst."

Neville's brows came together as he tried to express what he was thinking. "They're not you," he said simply.

Daphne gave him a shocked look. This guy seemed to worship her to a point that was borderline creepy. But he cared that she was crying and didn't push her to talk about it. He said what he meant, and she felt like she could read him like a book. He wasn't Theo, and she didn't have the feelings that she felt for Theo with him, but she definitely could see herself spending time with him.

* * *

Sylvia dragged Percy all around the Great Hall, not allowing him to stop and tell anyone who would at least pretend to listen about those boring old cauldrons. "Where is she? Ugh! I've been reading about her date all this time, and she's not even here! How am I supposed to tease her if she's not even here?" Sylvia whined.

"Maybe if you hadn't insisted on a tour of the castle, you wouldn't have missed her." Percy looked annoyed, and Sylvia knew why. He'd been here for hours, and he didn't have the opportunity to tell anyone about the new responsibilities Crouch had given him.

Sylvia tittered and said in baby-talk, "Aw! I'm sorwy my little Perc-Perc! Maybe if you hadn't insisted that we take a detour to the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room you would have had time to show off!" She kissed him on the cheek and dragged him over to where she spotted Harry and Percy's sister.

Harry's eyes bugged out at the sight of her skimpy, tight leather dress. He immediately looked away, telling Sylvia that he was, as Calvin would say, whipped. "Hello. Kim went that way." He pointed at a table that had the wolf and Sirius Black, along with other people that Sylvia didn't really care about.

"It's okay Harry," Percy's sister said wryly. "Even I can't keep my eyes off her." She was smiling a little, making Sylvia realize that nothing was going to ruin this night for her. Sylvia decided that she liked her. Most girl's felt threatened by her but not Percy's sister. She had that rare thing called confidence.

Before Percy could get in a word, Sylvia dragged him away. She ran to the table as fast as her six inch heels could take her. "Where's my sister? I have to make fun of her, share a good few jokes with her, and then dance the night away!"

A little blonde girl said, "She was my sister's date and pretended to be her girlfriend for almost a month, but then bailed out on the actual date after about five minutes."

Sylvia nodded. "Yes, yes. Sounds like her. Go on."

"Well, then she came here, but he and his son came over, and she danced with him." She pointed to some old guy with long blonde hair. "Then she walked away and left the Great Hall with his son." Sirius jumped up from his chair but was pulled down slowly by Remus.

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "Okay. I'll get her. Percy? Do you want to stay with these people or do you want to come with me to witness the hormonal adventures of teenagers?" Sylvia never told Percy that she was only a year older than Kim. She mentally shrugged. All he had to do was ask.

Percy frowned. A good chunk of the night was wasted, and he hadn't gotten to show off to anyone yet. "I should have brought Penny."

Sylvia let out a twinkly laugh. "Honey, if you gave a damn about her, you would have cared enough about her feelings to dump her. All you're doing is hurting her, distancing yourself from her while she eagerly awaits your letters. You want me, and I want you so stop using her as a threat. Let her go, just like I let Henry go."

Percy tensed up. "Henry? Who's Henry?"

Sylvia laughed again. That was easy. "See you in a little bit, my Sweetheart."

Kim was just walking out of the dungeons when Sylvia caught up to her. "Hey," she said cheerfully. Snape rolled his eyes and stormed off. "He just cock blocked me."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes but decided to let that one go. Instead, she chose to make fun of the fact that Kim's kimono was still open. "You look like a big ole slut." Kim looked at Sylvia's dress, and they burst out laughing. "So what was so urgent that I had to come here with Percy instead of sending the delivery man to Umbridge's house with two dozen pizzas again?"

Kim pursed her lips. "Daddy's looking for Calvin."

"So? _You_ know where he is, not me." Sylvia didn't understand why she had to get sucked into this. Calvin was the one who was hiding.

"But Daddy doesn't know that. Strength your wards so you can at least tell if he breaks in." Sylvia sighed. They both had no reason to be scared. Kim lived in a frigging castle while Sylvia lived within walking distance of the Ministry. Still, Sylvia couldn't help but feel just as nervous as Kim.

Suddenly, Sylvia perked up. "Unless I move and don't tell anyone! Then he'd never know until he already broke in."

Kim put her hands on her hips. "You aren't going to do what Momma says to keep Percy are you?"

Sylvia folded her arms. "I'm too selfish for that. Can you imagine the stretch marks?" Kim rolled her eyes. "_But_ if I play the damsel in distress, I'm a shoe in for the Burrow, and if I can get Mrs. Weasley to like me, then Percy will be all mine."

Kim grinned and tied up her kimono. "Want to pretend to be drunk and dance on the tables?"

"Of course." They strutted back to the Great Hall.

* * *

Hermione was chatting with Viktor when Ron stormed over to them. She tried not to roll her eyes, wondering how Ron was going to embarrass himself this time. "What the Hell are you doing with _him_?"

Viktor frowned while Hermione wondered if this is what it was like to die from humiliation. Ron was _supposed_ to be one of her best friends. "Vhat do you mean? She is my date."

"Yeah, and I'm sure you're interested in _her_ and not what she can help you find out about that egg," Ron spat sarcastically. Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears. Was it really that odd for someone to like her, for her and not her braininess?

"Herm-own-nee is very nice and beautiful girl. We never talk about the egg. I figured it out a week ago without her help. If she helps me with anything, it is improving my English. We like to read the books together." Viktor looked down on Ron as if he were an ant to stomp on. Could this boy be jealous? He smirked in satisfaction as Ron shrunk a little in fear.

Ron opened his mouth to argue some more, but Hermione yelled, "Why are you doing this? You never said anything to Kim about Fleur! Am I untrustworthy or something?"

Ron shook his head. "N-no, I just…" He had a feeling that it was too late. He had gone too far.

"What? You think that no one else can like me? Am I that repulsive?" She wiped are eyes with her hand. "You ruin everything!" She pushed past him, leaving him with Viktor, who was towering over him.

"I am going after her," Viktor announced. And then he took a step closer to Ron, who gulped and involuntarily took a step back. "But you vill apologize tomorrow. Understand?" Ron nodded vigorously. "Good." Viktor calmly walked away in search of Hermione.

Almost as soon as he was gone, Emily came back from the bathroom. "You wouldn't believe how long it takes to get out of this thing!" She gestured to her bubblegum pink dress robes. "Do you want to get some punch?" Again, Ron nodded, mouth too dry to speak.

* * *

Ginny couldn't stop laughing as she grabbed Harry's arms from behind and was trying to make him dance to The Weird Sisters. "Come on! This is my favorite song!"

"You said that for the last two songs!" But Harry was laughing too and spun around to sneak a kiss while all the other Weasleys were focused on their dates.

"Live a little! There's nothing wrong with dancing like a nut during a dance!"

"Ball," Harry corrected smugly.

"Oh! Well excuse me, Mr. Potter! Perhaps we should waltz then!" Ginny bowed slightly and gracefully held out her hand.

Harry tried to suppress his grin. Ginny was going to talk to him like an old man? Fine by him. "Very well, Ginerva. I shall waltz with you to this _music_, if that's what you young folk call it." He grabbed Ginny's had and began to waltz with her as the kids around them were jumping up and down to the rock song. For once, Harry didn't feel subconscious about turning a few heads.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sylvia and Kim were trying to teach Gabrielle the Electric Slide, which was hard without the song playing. Earlier, they tried to get Gabrielle on the table to dance with them, but it almost collapsed so they settled for the floor. That was when Sirius finally caught up to her. "YOU!" He pointed at her, furious. "What did you just do?"

Kim slid over to him. "The Electric Slide!" Gabrielle couldn't stop giggling at her silliness.

"I meant with _him_." He said _him_ as if it were the foulest of words.

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "She's walking alright, isn't she?"

Kim blinked at her. "What?"

Sylvia opened her mouth and then something flashed in her eyes, something that Remus had seen in Sirius's and James's faces plenty of times. She was about to pull a prank. "Oh, it's just if anything happened, you'd be in the hospital right now. It's common knowledge." Sirius caught on and grinned. Remus put his fingers at the bridge of his nose, hoping that Kim wasn't going to fall for it.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked fearfully. Remus suppressed a groan. How was he going to explain to her that Sylvia was lying?

Sylvia shrugged gracefully. "I mean, I was in the hospital for a week after my first time. And that's if you're lucky. Mom told me she had to be on blood replenishing potions for, like, six months." Kim's eyes widened in horror.

Remus tried to intervene. "She's—"

"Telling the complete and absolute truth," Sirius finished. "Remember a week after graduation, when Lily went on 'vacation' for a month? I think she was just too embarrassed to say what really happened." Remus narrowed his eyes. Her family had gone to Hawaii.

Just then, Draco returned for the dungeons. "Sorry about that, Sev can just be, well, Sev." He smiled at her.

Kim pointed at him with a shaking arm. "You-you stay away from me!" Then she ran away as fast as she could. Sirius started laughing hysterically.

Draco scowled at them all. "What did you just do?"

"Keep your cock away from her, and everything will be fine with the gullible little dope." Sylvia smiled at him like he was an infant whose little brain couldn't handle what she was trying to say. Gabrielle decided this was the best time to scurry away and find Kim.

Remus sighed. "Just ignore them. They managed to make her think that she would wind up in the hospital if you two had…" He made a repulsed face. "Relations."

Draco glared at them. He finally got back together with her, and this is what they do. "I hate you all."

Ron walked up to them. "Emily ditched me for some Beauxbatons guy." He sighed. "I messed up with Hermione again."

"My god, Weasley," Draco exclaimed. "Are you ever not messing up with your friends?"

"Since when are you part of the group again?" Ron snapped. Then he turned away from him and acted like Draco wasn't there. "What am I going to do?" he groaned. "I don't think she'll ever forgive me!"

"I'd try apologizing first." Remus smiled at Ron's melodramatics. They wouldn't speak for a while and then be best friends again.

"And if not." Sylvia pointed to the ground. "On your knees and begging for you, young man! If she's anything like me, I think you'd better cry to. Say you can't live without her and that you'd do anything to have her back."

Ron pursed his lips. "You scare me."

"Thank you."

* * *

Fleur hugged Bill close, taking in the scent of him. From the smell of things, he had doused himself in shampoo. His long hair was in a neat ponytail, and he went without the fang earring that Fleur was still debating on whether she liked or not. They were in the corner of the Great Hall, but they might as well have been in their own little world.

"You know, Gringotts has a branch in France." Bill looked at the ground, embarrassed that he already thought about being near her after the school year.

Fleur perked up from where she was sleepily leaning against his chest. "Really? I waz going to train to be a school teacher! Teach children how to read." Then she flushed. "But I am not sure if that iz for me. I do not know what to do after graduation! So many choices!"

Bill shrugged. "Charlie tried a little bit of everything before he settled on the dragon reserve. He was even a dog walker for a short period of time. Although, my favorite job of his was when he was giving five year olds flying lessons. He came home one day covered in vomit and never went back again."

Fleur sighed and fingered his bow tie. "What about you? Why are you so perfect?"

Bill grinned. "Because I'm the oldest. Everything I do has to be perfect. If not, then it's a big surprise," he grumbled. Then he brightened up again. "My mum thinks I'm a punk for my hair and the earring."

Fleur smiled and stroked his cheek. "Do not worry. Ze hair is beautiful."

"What about the earring?"

"I'm still thinking about zit. But I do think it is…badass." Fleur hoped she used the right word. Kim had used it to describe Harry's performance with the Horntail.

Bill smiled into Fleur's hair. "That's just what I was going for." He turned to her face and kissed her slowly. It was heaven.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	17. All for Nothing!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Sirius is NOT naked in this beginning scene! He has a towel wrapped around him. Just thought I'd make that clear. :) Also, does anyone know if Greyback had a beta in the books? If so, I'll change his name to the real one.**

Chapter 17

Remus couldn't help but frown at the newspaper the next morning. "Small Werewolf Packs Ban Together to Drive Greyback Out of UK." There was no way that was possible. Greyback's pack consisted of at least a few hundred while most packs were twenty at most. They only joined together through marriage, but their life expectancy was in their forties because of lack of medical care, and their infant mortality rates were so high that it was hard for them for grow in numbers. Greyback's pack was so large because they shared a hatred for the human race. "Sirius…"

Sirius had just jumped out of the shower and was drying his hair with a towel. "What?" He took one look at the article and his expression darkened. "You're not going."

Remus sighed and tossed the paper on the coffee table. "I will if Albus asks me to, but I don't see why he would since Greyback is out of the country."

But Sirius was already in a bad mood. "Just because he sired you or turned you or whatever you want to call it doesn't mean it's your responsibility to kill him or stop him. Would you expect Harry to go after Voldemort?" Sirius flinched. "Bad example."

"What I want to know is why. I get that the other packs are wary of Greyback, but they've never done anything before. They were content to just leave each other alone." Remus stared at the article. "I wonder where he's going."

"Who cares? As long as it's far away from here and hopefully ends in his demise." Sirius often feared that Remus would hunt Greyback down and die fighting him. Or that Greyback would come looking for him.

Remus shuddered. "I hear his Beta is much worse though. Rumor has it; he kidnaps young girls and keeps them as his 'mate' until the trauma makes them catatonic. Then he just finds another one. And since he doesn't have a _real_ mate, the pack will go into civil war if Greyback were to die. Either way, I don't think it would turn out good." These were times that Remus understood people's prejudices.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, but again, it has NOTHING to do with you." Remus shrugged. "I'm serious, Remus." He frowned at what he just said. "Shut up! Last time, it was hell. Just stay here and beat up Death Eaters with me."

"While that does sound like fun, why should I let Voldemort turn other werewolves into monsters?"

"Because it's their choice and not yours!" Sirius felt himself getting angry. Greyback was gone! So why was Remus acting like he was recruiting other werewolves.

Remus smiled sadly. "Then why does everyone think it is?"

"Because their idiots. Honestly Remus, do you really think they'll change their minds just because you tell them that life doesn't have to be how they make it? Meanwhile, we'll all be worried sick about you." Sirius made his way to leave, even though he was only in a towel.

Remus bit his lip as Sirius slammed the door behind him and resisted the urge to throw something. People didn't hate Sirius for something he couldn't help. He just became infamous for being him and trusting Peter. But when it came to Remus, he couldn't have anything, even his godchildren and the lowliest of jobs unless he was almost completely dependent on another person. It was almost like he was a child himself since he pretty much relied on Sirius to take care of him. _And this is how you repay him…_ Remus glowered at his own thought. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, if only society would let him.

Sirius was starting to notice the draft from lack of clothes when he noticed the surrounding children laughing at him. Unfortunately, Harry, Hermione, and Kim happened to be walking down the same hall he was. Harry stopped in midstride, frozen in mortification. Hermione turned red and chose that moment to look at a painting who was shielding his eyes. Kim cocked her head to the side. "I think a fig leaf would be more appropriate than the towel. Did Peeves trick you into this? One time he tricked me into doing a History Magic Essay in Spanish." She looked at the ground. "I failed."

"No. I…I mean, er." Sirius straightened up a bit. "Remus is a dick." Harry buried his face in his hands. "Not like that! Just…an ass."

"You're making it worse!" Kim seemed to find everyone's embarrassment hilarious. "I was going to ask if you were in the middle of waxing next!"

Sirius fidgeted, looking at the classrooms that he knew were empty. "I would kill you right now, but I am not properly dressed for it," he mumbled. Then, head down, Sirius went for the nearest classroom and slammed the door behind him.

Harry eyed the door as if it were the gateway to Hell. "Should we follow him?" No one wanted to see their parent when they had just gotten out of the shower.

Kim giggled. "Go get him Ron's pilgrim outfit from last 'Thanksgiving'!" Kim made a horrified face. "OH MY GOD! I forgot it again. Damn you Brits and your lack Thanksgiving." She yanked at her hair for a minute and then said, "I'll go in with him! Sometimes I swear he is such a girl." Harry and Hermione scurried off before Kim could change her mind, making them stuck with a nearly naked Sirius.

Kim skipped into the room, smiling brightly at Sirius. "Why didn't you just change into a dog if it is this embarrassing?"

Sirius gritted his teeth. In his anger, he'd forgotten he could do that. "Because Remus is a dick."

She shrugged. "So are you." He glared at her. "What? You both probably said stupid things while arguing over nothing." Sirius opened his mouth and then quickly shut it. He did kind of flip out over something that didn't even happen yet.

After about ten minutes of watching Kim draw flowers on the chalkboard, Harry returned sans Hermione with the pilgrim outfit. Sirius sighed but it was better than nothing. Harry and Kim waited outside for him while he got dressed. After emerging from the classroom, he told them what happened. "That's it!?" Kim exclaimed. "I thought you were fighting over something awful, like if I would be allowed to paint my room or not!" Remus wouldn't let her since she changed her mind about what color every time he asked her what one she wanted. Pink, purple, lime green, sky blue…So many choices!

"This isn't funny!" Harry kicked at the floor. "What if he goes, and we never see him again?"

Kim rolled her eyes and said like it was a simple solution, "I'll put a tracker on Remus and then take Greyback to the Pendragon Family Dungeon, where I will whip him until he loses consciousness and then throw him in the coffin until he wakes up, then I'll start all over again until he dies."

Sirius growled. "Can we all just stop hunting Greyback? And that's disturbing by the way." She only smirked at him, having said that just to freak him out. "What we have to do is convince Remus to promise that he won't go after Greyback."

Harry frowned. "Then you'd have to convince him that Greyback isn't a threat, which I'm assuming is going to be hard."

Kim made a frustrated noise. "I'm _telling _you! Greyback isn't a threat if he's dead!"

"Greyback dead will make Remus worse," Sirius said. "Something about his Beta being more sadistic."

Kim stopped in her tracks. "Logan?" Sirius gaped. "Cole is after him…"

Harry felt a light bulb go off in his head. "Isn't it funny that Cole is after Logan, and their pack is suddenly attacked and forced to flee the country? Didn't he say last time we saw him that he had some business in the Forbidden Forest?"

Kim perked up. "Of course! Cole wants to bring Greyback's pack back to his own turf." She brought her brows together in confusion. "But how would he convince them to go to America? It can't be easy bringing that many werewolves overseas."

Harry's shoulders slumped a bit. "I don't know."

Sirius threw his hands up in the air. "Just don't tell Remus about this. No offense Kim, but I'd rather have Remus here than freezing to death in the woods of Pennsylvania."

"It's not as cold as here! And if you don't want Remus to go so bad, then tell Dumbledore not to ask him, Silly!"

"I think Remus would explode then."

Harry looked out a nearby window, seeing a strange looking beetle being chased by an owl. "That's it! Tell him that you'll follow him! If it's as dangerous as you say, then he won't want you going, and he'll have to stay here to keep you from being near Greyback."

Sirius's eyes widened. "Sometimes you remind me so much of Lily that it scares me, mate."

* * *

Remus finally decided to leave their rooms after dinner. In the Gryffindor Common Room, he could only find Kim and Bill helping Neville with a Potions essay. Kim grinned at him. "You're in _trouble_!"

He sighed. "Yes, I know. So where is he?"

"Harry's taking a bath with his egg, and Sirius is writing a letter." She frowned at Neville. "You have to write about how high to keep the flames and compare it to most other potions." Neville looked up at her as if he wanted to yank his hair out. "Don't shoot the messenger, my friend. Snape likes details."

"Is he still naked?" Remus hoped he hadn't run into Professor McGonagall.

"Nope. He's a pilgrim now. How come you didn't remind me of Thanksgiving?" She pouted.

"Because we don't celebrate it." Remus felt himself getting nervous. He didn't _want _to apologize to Sirius but knew he had to.

Just then, Sirius strolled in with a big grin on his face. Kim was happy to note that he was still in the pilgrim outfit but wished he would put on the hat. Remus opened his mouth to apologize. "No need to say you're sorry Moony because should the need arise, I'm coming with you."

Remus paled. "I'd rather apologize."

"Too late!" Sirius wasn't going to stop insisting he would follow whenever this came up unless Remus promised to never pursue Greyback.

"Sirius, they will literally try to eat you." Remus was torn between throttling Sirius and begging him not to go with him. _I guess that's how he felt this morning._

"Don't worry! If it's during the summer, Harry and I will stick to peanut butter and jelly so we don't burn the house down," Kim said cheerfully. Remus narrowed his eyes. Sirius must have come up with this with Kim and Harry.

Sirius shrugged comically. "If you don't go, I don't go either."

Remus studied him for a few minutes, trying to see if he was bluffing or not. "If Albus says I should go, they won't accept you. They're too…old-fashioned. I think it's important that werewolves aren't labeled as dark creatures once this war is over."

"Look how I was labeled after the first war! I'm doing pretty good now aren't I?" Kim and Neville looked at each other as if that were the worse example in the world.

"Why do you care about being a dark creature, Remus? You got us!" Kim looked up at him with wide eyes that almost made him smile. Oh, they were good at this. Remus half wondered if they rehearsed it.

Not really wanting to give up, Remus said, "I guess it would be better to wait until things get bad. It's kind of silly to get worked up about things that are in the far future, if in the future at all." He blushed when Kim started cheering, and Neville began clapping shyly.

Sirius smiled, that was enough…for now. "I guess than its best to head back." Remus nodded.

Kim gave them a look that was a cross between a pout and an angry expression. "This better not be implying anything! I prefer things to be PG in the Common Room."

"No, no. Of course not," Sirius said, pretending to have no idea what she was talking about. Kim decided to ignore the sarcasm as they left.

Once Neville was just completing his essay, Harry came in through the portrait, holding the egg and scowling. Kim followed him as he stomped up to his dorm. "So what's up?"

"What's up? I have to learn how to hold my breath underwater for an hour because some bloody bastard decided it would be funny to enter me in the Tournament." Harry looked around, wondering where Ron and Hermione were.

"They're avoiding each other," Kim answered his unspoken question. "Maybe you don't have to hold your breath, maybe you can figure out how to breathe underwater."

That didn't improve Harry's mood at all. "Oh yeah, that's so much easier to figure out."

Kim shrugged. "It's the day after Christmas dude! You're supposed to be stuffing your face with sweets until you get a tummy ache!"

Neville came up stairs to put his Potions essay away. "What's the matter?"

"Harry is worrying about stuff in February!" Kim shook her head. "It's like he's turning into Hermione or something!"

Harry shot her an irritated look. "You would too if you were going to drown since you can't breathe underwater or hold your breath for an hour or whatever."

Neville brightened at the prospect of being able to help. "You could use Gillyweed!" They both of them stared at him blankly. "It gives you gills and webbed fingers and toes for an hour." Harry looked at Neville like he was his savior. "Mad-Eye gave me a book that mentioned it." Kim paled. She had nearly forgotten about Moody. Would he find a way to come after her again?

"That's great!" Harry snapped Kim out of her thoughts. He frowned. "But how am I going to get it?"

"I'll just order you some," Kim said instantly. She didn't want Moody to think he could help Harry. The less they had to do with him, the better.

Harry shook his head. "It might be expensive."

She let out a small laugh. "I've been stealing from my father's account since a few weeks before I met you, and he has yet to notice."

"I don't want you to get in trouble with him." Harry would never forgive himself if Russell got ahold of Kim.

"I'm sure you could ask Snape for some." Neville looked frightened at the thought. "It might be in his potions cabinet." Kim tried to remember if it was since her detention with him where she had to alphabetize all his potions but couldn't.

"I can ask him in my detention once school starts up again." Maybe she'd be better off getting Draco to do it.

"No, then he'll know that everyone's helping me, and you know how he'll react." Harry wanted to deal with Snape as little as possible.

Kim pointed her finger in the air. "Those Firewhiskeys from Christmas are from the eighteen hundreds! If it's too expensive, we could sell them for it."

Harry grinned and made to leave. "I'll go talk to Sirius and Remus then." Kim and Neville shared a look that Harry could only describe as freaked out. "What?"

"Unless you want to be blinded, I wouldn't." Neville nodded in agreement. Harry decided to pretend that Sirius and Remus were using magic that would make him go blind and that they would be finished tomorrow.

* * *

Draco was pacing in the Slytherin Common Room. "I knew I was going to get back together with her, and I didn't even bother to get her a Christmas present." Blaise rolled his eyes. Draco was such a drama queen.

Theo looked up from the letter he was writing to his father. "She isn't thinking about it, you know. But if you're going to go crazy over it, get her food. She's one of those people that's going to be super fat when she gets older."

Draco felt his face turn red with anger. "She is NOT fat!"

Theo started laughing. Getting on Draco's nerves was fun. "I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that one day she will be."

"You're just jealous because she loves me and not you!" Theo stopped laughing. That kind of stung.

"Alright, fine. But I won't be jealous when she's so fat she can't see her feet." Theo had a feeling that Kim would try to beat him up if she heard this.

"You two are being babies," Pansy interrupted. "Draco, get her some kind of strawberry treat even though she didn't get you anything. Theo, you can call Kim fat when she is but for now, shut up."

* * *

As Ron was lurking in the shadows trying to gather up the courage to apologize to Hermione, Draco was making his way over to Kim the next morning with a strawberry shortcake. Theo drew out his wand, still ticked off about yesterday evening, and cast a tripping jinx. Draco, of course, landed face first into the cake, causing Sirius to howl with laughter from his seat in the Great Hall. Kim helped Draco up and cooed, "Aw, did you want to have a cake date?"

Draco glared towards Theo. "I don't want to talk about it."

Theo strode over and shook his head. "Draco, Draco, Draco. You're just so clumsy." He conjured a white rag and grinned evilly. "Here you go, mate."

Draco did his best to look as angry as he felt through all the cream. He pointed accusingly at Theo. "Theo called you fat!"

Kim looked down at her slightly slender, slightly average frame. "What?"

"No! No! I said you were going to be fat!" Theo threw the rag at Draco, who quickly started wiping his face.

"Somehow that doesn't make things any better…" But Kim was smiling, only infuriating Draco further.

"The point is that you're supposed to hate him!" Kim rolled her eyes.

Ginny walked over, covering her mouth to hide her quiet giggles. "Sirius agrees to let you take Draco to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to clean up, if I go with you." She smirked. "I think you're going to have to wait until he's dead to get married."

"No way! Then I'll be all old and won't be able to have babies!" Kim waved goodbye to Theo as they set off. Draco bit his lip. He hated kids…but that could be a conversation for ten years from now.

Draco scrubbed himself raw, not wanting to smell like cake all day. When he turned around, he was happy to see that Ginny made a silent exit. Kim kissed him sweetly. "You're so weird, you know that right?"

Draco huffed. "I was just trying to be nice! I didn't get you anything for Christmas!"

"So? I wasn't _planning_ on getting you anything." Kim looked around the bathroom. "Where's Myrtle?"

"RIGHT HERE!" Moaning Myrtle glared at them as they jumped at her scream. "You couples come here and never think about me! You just want to get away from the teachers so you can snog without interruption."

"No offense, but your residence isn't the most romantic place," Draco replied haughtily.

Soon enough, Kim had to drag Draco away from Myrtle because she started throwing icy punches at him. Kim pursed her lips once they were out. "If anyone's going to punch you, it's going to be me. Besides, what you said was true. Who would want to do anything in a haunted bathroom?"

Draco was about to open his mouth to reply when Mad-Eye interrupted him. Kim gripped his hand so tightly it almost hurt. "Miss Potter, I'd like to talk you in private about your grades." Kim knew that wasn't it. Sirius and Remus had been grading her things lately. Her heart started pounding in her chest. She gave Draco a pleading look.

Draco smiled at her, thinking that she was worried about her grades and trying to encourage her. "I'll wait for you here."

She stared to shake her head at him, but Mad-Eye said, "Come on, lassie. This will only take a minute." He led her down the hall and turned the corner. "I've missed you, my little plaything." He chuckled as she started shaking. "I've missed you so much that I think I'll tell that blood traitor and his wolf that I'll be grading your things from now on. _Imperio_. From now on, do whatever I write in the margins of your papers." He smiled his grotesque smile and ran his hand through her hair. "I'll see you after New Year's. Now go back to your little boyfriend." Kim practically ran away from him.

Draco put his arm around her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

She stared at him for a long time, wondering how she could work around the curse. "If something bad happens to me, remember this."

"I don't understand." Draco was staring at her as if she had three heads. "I'll tutor you if you're failing." Kim smiled crazily at him and started laughing hysterically. He didn't know what to do. She was scaring him.

* * *

Ron slowly walked over to the breakfast table. Seeing Malfoy humiliated like that raised his spirits, which gave him the confidence to approach Hermione. His ears burned. "I'm sorry about…you know."

She gave him a dark look. "No, I don't know Ronald. Is it that you think that I would betray Harry?" Harry got up to leave before he could get sucked into this. "Is it that you think no one would like me for any other reason than my intelligence? Is it that you almost ruined my night at the Yule Ball? Or perhaps it's the fact that you insulted my date and humiliated me?!" Hermione noticed all her friends slowly trickling away. At least they weren't sticking around to see the show.

Ron gulped. "I…I acted like a git okay!" He never would admit that he was jealous. So how was he going to worm his way out of this one? "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I just didn't trust Krum."

Hermione snorted. "Oh yeah, you don't trust the guy you worship."

"I'm sorry! Come on, we all do stupid things!" Ron hoped he didn't sound like he was whining.

Hermione laughed without humor. "I'll be civil with you for Harry, but I'm not happy with you, Ronald, and I won't be for a long time." Ron didn't know why that hurt him so bad.

* * *

Kim seemed to be in a bad mood during lunch, and Ron and Hermione were in a sort of tense silence, so Harry decided now was the best time to bring up the Gillyweed. Remus raised his eyebrows. "You know that's one of the cheapest plants out there."

"What?" They worried about getting it for nothing.

Sirius laughed at his godson's face. "Yup, you can get as much as you need for less than a sickle."

Kim looked up from where she was pulverizing her sandwich. "If it's that easy, then I should have entered the Tournament."

Harry gave her a condescending look. "You'd die within five minutes."

She sighed. "I know." Harry's procrastination was nothing compared to Kim's.

* * *

Soon enough, too soon in some people's opinion, school started up again, and Kim was back to being taught by Sirius, Remus, and Bill. Bill still didn't make any progress with trying to take the curse of, but he did frown the first time he tried after Kim's run in with the imposter. Kim wondered if he knew, but he didn't say anything. So he must have noticed _something_. Well, he found out what it was two weeks into term when Moody graded a quiz and handed it to Kim. It was a Saturday, since the full moon was coming up and Remus didn't want her to miss her lessons when he was ill. He told Remus and Sirius that she got an E so they wouldn't ask to see it. Frustrated, Kim threw it into the fire, which was part of what was written in the margin. Remus and Sirius frowned but said nothing. She supposed it was odd behavior and wished they would have questioned it. But what would they ask? Students get rid of papers by throwing them into the fire all the time. It kept things from getting too cluttered.

Kim had Potions with Bill after dinner because she wanted Neville to have time to have it with them. He was giving a lecture that evening, and Kim thought she could get out of doing what Moody had written down by purposely forgetting her quills. Bill being Bill, of course, handed her a quill with a smile. "Did you forget today wasn't a practical lesson?" Immediately she started fidgeting as he turned back to the chalk board.

Neville looked at her funny as she clenched her fists and hunched over. "Er, Professor…um, Bill?"

By the time Bill turned around, Kim was sitting up strait and perfect still. However, he could tell that she wasn't all there. "Neville?" Neville looked frightened at the commanding tone of his voice. "Get back. Right now!" Bill walked over to the desk, trying not to panic. "Kim, can-can you hear me?"

In response, Kim grabbed the quill and jumped out of her desk. She moved to try to stab him with it, but Bill was too quick. He grabbed her arm, and she immediately stopped. Bill frowned. That was too easy. "B-Bill!" He turned around at the uneasiness of Neville's voice. The desk that Kim had been sitting in was right over his head. Bill sighed as he jumped out of the way as the desk came crashing down and pushed Kim to the ground at the same time. Now Mum wasn't going to stop talking about how dangerous his job was.

Kim started struggling immediately once she realized that she hadn't done what she was told. Bill held her down and knew he wasn't going to be able to see or break this particular curse unless she was stunned. It was easiest to break a curse soon after it was cast. "Neville! I need you to do something for me!" Neville looked a bit shaken up but was ready to do whatever he said. Bill moved his head to the side when Kim tried to head butt him. "Point your wand at her and say _Stupefy_! If you hit me that's okay! Just don't stop until you hit her."

Neville pointed his wand at her with a shaking hand. What if he messed up like he did at everything else? Bill hoisted her up by her arms, and she hissed at him. Neville gulped. "_Stupefy_!"

* * *

Sirius was teaching Harry and anyone else in Gryffindor Tower who wanted to know the Patronus when Neville found them. Remus was sleeping since the full moon was in a few days. "What's up Nev? Was she bossing you around too much during the lesson?" Sirius grinned, hoping Kim was nearby to yell that she wasn't bossy.

Neville laughed nervously, trying to remember what Bill told him to say. "We got interrupted by Bill's…other job, and he wants you to come and see that he fixed it so…you can talk about it."

Sirius stared at him blankly, but Harry sighed. "Astronomy Tower or Hospital Wing?" Sirius caught on and groaned.

"Hospital Wing." Neville tried not to smile. He remembered it and didn't blurt out what was going on in front of Lavender and Pavarti!

Kim was sound asleep by the time Sirius, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione got there. Bill waved at them. "It seems the culprit was trying to get rid of me so he could have his…the word plaything kept coming up. I was able to figure out that the guy is definitely, well, a guy though. Kim finds him creepy." He looked excited about finally being able to figure _something_ about the caster out.

Sirius tried not to growl. "So he's back? I don't understand. She hasn't been alone at all. Well, I mean, she showers and goes to the bathroom alone, but since its school there's usually _someone_ else in there."

Bill shook his head. "Since it's a man, I think they wouldn't risk getting caught going into the girl's bathroom anyway."

"Has Albus been notified?" Sirius wondered if he should wake up Moony.

Bill nodded. "He's alerted the staff and prefects to keep a look out."

Before Sirius could say anymore, Snape flung the Hospital Wing doors open with his wand and was dragging Draco by his arm. He practically threw him in front of them. "Tell them what she told you, you imbecile!" Ron's jaw dropped. Never did he hear Snape talk to Malfoy like that.

Draco looked at his godfather like he couldn't believe it either. "Well…" He turned pink at everyone staring at him. "She said that if anything bad happened to remember this."

"Remember what?" Harry demanded.

"I was just getting to that," Draco snapped. "It was Boxing Day. We were leaving Moaning Myrtle's when Moody came to talk to Kim about her grades."

Sirius went rigid. "Remus and I have been grading her things." Until recently.

Draco paled. "But-but I didn't know that."

Sirius frowned. "But you would have known that Ginny?" Harry noticed that Ginny shrunk a little. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Ginny refused to look Sirius in the eye. "I thought they could use some time alone. Kim and Draco." Sirius took a deep breathe but didn't say anything. He knew he shouldn't be mad at her. She couldn't have known this would happen, but he didn't trust himself to respond right now.

"So what does it mean?" Draco looked at them all with guilt. Why didn't he just go with her when Moody wanted to talk about her grades?

"What does what mean?" Kim woke up and was smiling. "Did I fall down the stairs or something? Because I don't feel hurt or anything."

"No, you just tried kill me." Bill watched her bashfully mumble an apology. "So you do know what happened? Good. What is the last thing you remember?"

Kim pursed her lips thinking hard. "I purposely forgot my quills…But then you gave me one…And that's all I can remember." She looked like trying to remember anything else gave her a headache.

Bill grinned. "Excellent! You were able to fight it a little!" Kim stared at him as if he were out of him mind. She just tried to kill him with a desk! "If you weren't able to, you would have kept the quills."

"While that is lovely," Sirius interrupted. "Does this mean Mad-Eye is a Death Eater? Because somehow I think that is highly unlikely."

They remained silent for a few minutes while Kim was thinking of a way to tell them that they were wrong. She couldn't tell them, but somebody else could. Kim perked up, feeling herself shake with excitement. "Harry knows!"

"I do?" Harry had to say he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. If she was going to give him some kind of riddle, she should have asked Hermione.

"Sure you do! You asked Hermione about it, and she was talking about…" She made a face like she was trying not to cough. "About not getting favored." Harry stared at her. "In September."

"You mean about how Mad-Eye acted like he didn't know us?" Harry felt a jolt. "And he would act like that if he didn't know he was supposed to know us."

Sirius wished Remus was here to keep him from having a meltdown. "So you're telling me that there is a Death Eater prancing around here in pretending to be Mad-Eye? Un-fucking-believable! We're all running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find this guy, and he's right here!"

Hermione scowled. "I guess we know who entered Harry in the Tournament."

"Well, we don't _really_ know, do we?" Ron asked. "I mean, we know it was a fake Mad-Eye, but we don't know who's doing the faking."

"A Death Eater," Draco said drily.

"Oh, so your father then?" Ron snarled. "It's not like he hasn't attacked Ginny before to try to bring You-Know-Who back." Draco stared at him blankly. "Don't act like you don't know!"

"He doesn't!" Kim smiled, feeling like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. "He makes that face when he's studying Transfiguration!"

"Hey!"

An idea suddenly popped up in Harry's head. It was a good thing that Dudley occasionally watched crime shows. "But it isn't Lucius Malfoy isn't it?" Draco glared at him.

Kim tilted her head to the side. "No, why?"

"Because you can tell us who it isn't, just not who it is." Severus raised his eyebrows in surprise. Maybe Potter wasn't as dumb as he thought the boy was.

Kim threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. "So? I can't narrow it down from every person in the world!"

"I know but remember when Sirius escaped, and they had wanted posters of him?"

Kim nodded. "Yeah. He was so gross." Sirius gave her a look that said _what the hell?_

Harry sighed impatiently. "That's not the point!" Sirius gave him an offended look, but Harry ignored him. "They took pictures of the Death Eaters that got caught. And I'm sure that the one's that didn't had wanted posters. If you look through all of those, you can say that they aren't it when you don't see him, but when you don't say anything, then we know it's the guy because you _can't _say anything." Everyone stared at him. "What?"

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged. "On the crime shows that Dudley likes, they identified the criminal sometimes by having the victim look through old mug shots."

Sirius folded his arms. "While I do think that's awesome." Harry beamed. "What's stopped us (me) from storming up to Mad-Eye's office as Padfoot and ripping him limb from limb?"

Severus looked at Sirius as if he were an idiot. "Because we don't know where he has the real Mad-Eye. Polyjuice Potion is clearly being used. I've never seen Moody drink so much. So the real Moody is still alive. If we find out who it is, then we might be able to find Moody. I know it's a stretch, and he's probably in Lestrange Manor, but who's to say he isn't in say, Macnair Manor? If we capture the culprit, then we may never find Moody. He could starve to death in some hidden passage in some ancient manor. It is best that we have the opportunity to follow the culprit to find Moody."

"We should work together more often guys!" Kim was so excited that she could dance around the room.

Draco stared at her for a long time. "You know where he is." Kim played Harry's game with the mug shots and said nothing. "Sorry Professor, but Moody is in the castle. But I still think it would be a good idea to follow him in order to find him."

Sirius was getting annoyed. So now Blondie was part of the group? All he wanted to do was beat up this phony and make sure nobody gets hurt again. "And how do you know that?" Moony would have kept him from snapping impatiently.

"_Because_ the only time she's left the castle is when she was with you, and I don't think that he would have just told her for the hell of it. She must have _seen _it." Draco smirked at his own cleverness. "Moody was attacked just before school started. It was in the paper."

Sirius sighed in defeat. Just one punch…and a kick. That's all he wanted. "Fine. We'll sort this out with Albus."

* * *

Albus decided to hold a staff meeting while Sirius, Kim, Harry, Draco, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked for the real Mad-Eye. Sirius knew that Remus would be angry with him for not waking him up, but Sirius always worried that the stress of the full moon would give Remus a heart attack. He'd fill Remus in in the morning, when everything was (hopefully) better and less stressful.

When they started searching the DADA classroom, Draco sneered at them like they were stupid. "The house elves clean this stuff and probably his bedroom too. But Father forbids the house elves to go into his office." Sirius glared at Draco but saw Kim's eyes blazing with excitement. He was right.

Up in the office, they looked _everywhere_ for hidden spaces. Behind bookshelves, jumping around for squeaky floor boards, under the desk… Ginny glared at Ron when he started looking at some sort of chest with seven key holes. It was odd, but they shouldn't be wasting time looking at that. "_Ron!_ I think if Mad-Eye was stuffed in there he'd be long dead." Suddenly, the chest started shaking and the heard distant screams. Everyone stopped and turned around to look at them.

Ron smirked at his sister. "Want to say that again, Gin?"

Ginny blinked as Sirius ran over to break the locks. "I stand corrected." Unfortunately for Ginny, Ron would never forget those words.

There was a small explosion and a lot of dark gray smoke. Once it was cleared away, Sirius looked down into a hole that seemed to go down forever. He coughed and yelled out, "Is that you Mad-Eye?"

* * *

Barty was bored out of his mind in the staff meeting, considering that he was the person they were looking for. He wondered if they would ever figure out the truth. Once the Dark Lord returned, Barty planned to kill the old sack that he disguised himself as and leave without saying a word to anyone. Sometimes he thought about taking Kim with him. He enjoyed that she had a certain fight in her, like she wanted nothing more than to hurt him, but in the end, Barty was always the winner, always the one to make her submit. He didn't know if he would be finished with her when the Tournament was over. Would Harry Potter's death break her? It would definitely break Black, which Barty knew Bellatrix would at least enjoy. He smiled to himself. It was going to be an interesting summer.

The smile was wiped off his face when the watch on his right arm started silently ticking. Impossible! There was no way they found that sorry sack of paranoia. But the watch was ticking and that meant the chest that Barty kept him in was opened. Barty heaved himself up. Either way, it would be prudent to hide for a while in the Room of Requirement. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. "What? Can't an old man use the bathroom? It's not like it would make a difference anyway. You all are doing nothing but running around in circles looking for this guy."

Severus shared a look with Dumbledore, making Barty even more suspicious. "I'll accompany you."

Barty laughed at Severus. "What are we? A bunch of girls? I think I can defend myself against a Death Eater that picks on children." He threw the potions master an accusatory look.

"Be that as it may," Severus paused, not sure what to say. "I have to go too." Barty laughed again. Severus wanted to play? Fine. But Barty wasn't going to play by the rules. He swiftly walked out of the room, Severus trailing behind him.

Outside the bathroom, Barty said with malice, "Ladies first."

Severus drew his wand out first, but Barty knew it was coming. He made Severus lose his balance by kicking him in the shins. Severus grunted, giving Barty the chance to attack. Wizards always thought their enemy was only going to use their wand. Barty liked a combination of magical and physical attacks. So, instead of running away like a novice Death Eater would, Barty cast, "_Reducto,_" at Severus's shoulder and only took a moment to enjoy the other man's screams before making a run for it. Severus wouldn't be chasing him or anyone else for a long time.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Barty is still in the castle by the way. Like was mentioned earlier, he's hiding out in the Room of Requirement. He charmed the watch to start working if the chest was open. Please review!**


	18. Missing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 18

Severus felt like something was missing when he woke up. He remembered the fake Moody attacking him and then a pain in his shoulder. After a while it became numb, and he passed out. Feeling like he had no energy, Severus slowly opened his eyes and saw a stout old man talking in hushed tones with Madame Pomfrey. She nodded and ran over to a nearby bed that contained who Severus only guessed was the real Moody. The old man looked at him with a cheery smile. "A certain little shrimp made you enough chicken noddle soup to last a lifetime. He gestured to a tall metal pot on the bed next to Severus. "Unfortunately, she is afraid I'll give her a checkup and refuses to come in."

"Then stay in here as long as possible," Severus croaked.

Healer Dublith chuckled. "I would, but I've been given my own room, so my lucky lady is keeping the bed warm for me." Severus felt his expression sour. The healer's smile faltered a bit. "Do you know what happened to your arm?"

Severus looked over and tried to keep the surprise off his face. It was gone. "I'm assuming it can't be reattached."

Healer Dublith looked at a container on the bed next to him that didn't have the soup. Severus felt all color drain out of his face. "I could. But you wouldn't be able to move it or feel anything. All the nerves were obliterated in the part that I would reattach." He perked up but only a little. "I am very skilled in magical prosthetics though. Some say I'm the best healer in the world." He blushed a little. "Well, my woman says that."

Severus tried not to roll his eyes. "Fascinating. However, I don't think that is in my budget."

Dublith smiled. "Two dashing young fellows feel guilty about something to do with your father and are willing to pay for it. To be honest though, I think they are trying to anger Russell Pendragon until he has a heart attack."

Severus gritted his teeth. "I haven't talked to my father in about sixteen years, and I don't need their charity."

The healer frowned, cleared his throat, and took out a letter. "I feared it would come to this." Then he started reading the letter. "_Dear Professor Snape, If you don't except our offer, Kimberly Potter will be given the address of your summer residence. We are doing this to clear our conscience…However, I must say that Cole Pendragon most likely doesn't have one. Still, I do. We killed your father. I am going to say that his whole body is worth about a fake arm, so here you go. Sincerely, Calvin Pendragon_."

Severus blinked. His father was dead? If anything, Severus grieved over the fact that he felt nothing for the man's death. "Will they carry out the threat of telling her where I live? How would they know?"  
Dublith raised his eyebrows at the lack of emotion. "Calvin is training to be an auror. Cole has always been open to stealing, cheating, lying, and killing to get what he wants. I'm sure they dug it up somewhere. And yes, they will. Calvin doesn't like feeling guilty, and Cole likes doing things that will make Agatha proud of him. He's like a lost puppy when it comes to her."

Severus sighed. "How long will this take?" He didn't want to admit that he was grateful and just decided that those two brats were doing it for their own selfish reasons, which they were.

Dublith grinned like a just got to play his favorite game. "Excellent! We will start tomorrow and hopefully can finish up within two months. Anything faster would require Dark Magic, and I think you would prefer not to have Dark Magic flowing through your veins." Severus thought of the Dark Mark, which was currently in that container.

"I have students to teach. I was hoping that this could be settled by next week." Severus wondered if he could hold it off until summer, teaching with one arm.

Dublith reached out to put his arm on Severus's shoulder but thought better of it after the look that his patient gave him. "Cecily, she's my love you see, is more than willing to teach for you. She used tutor before Cole came along. The boy's a terror, needs constant supervision, even though he's in his early twenties."

Severus narrowed his eyes, debating. He felt crippled by the fact that he was missing his left arm, and he hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. It was only two months. "I'm going to plan out every lesson in excoriating detail."

The healer clapped his hands together, making Severus wonder how someone could possibly be so cheerful. "She'll love it. She is a lovely woman." Then his expression became serious. "But if you cross her, you'll never recover from her anger." Severus frowned. Well, at least he knew that his students wouldn't be getting too out of hand. "I remember when Cecily wanted Kim to come here, and Mary said no. Well, long story short, Cecily broke all her fingers and then came home and made the most scrumptious carrot cake." Severus decided he knew where Miss Potter's eccentricity came from. This whole family was out of their minds.

* * *

Remus tried to blink the exhaustion out of his eyes when he walked into his and Sirius's small living room. "Why is everyone here?" He wondered if he sounded like he had a terrible hangover.

Kim jumped out of her seat, too animated for Remus today. "Attempted murder, mystery solving, staff meetings, loss of limb, a rescue, and CHICKNOODLE SOUP!"

Remus sat down and rubbed his face with his hands. "Oh, of course…Did you say loss of limb?"

"Poor Professor Snape! He was being good too!" Days like these were when Remus wanted to slip a calming potion into her strawberry milk. The full moon was tomorrow.

Before Remus could throttle Kim, Sirius and everyone else quickly explained what happened. "And Madeye's okay. Just a little dehydrated and undernourished. He'll be back to his old self in no time!"

"Care to explain why you didn't wake me up?"

Sirius shifted in his seat. "Because that was twelve hours ago, and you slept all that time and still look like crap." Remus sighed. He was probably right.

"But that's okay! Because we made you soup too, and Sirius says we got to leave once we tell you everything," she finished miserably and looked at the ground.

Remus smiled sadly. "I'll probably go back to sleep after eating so you won't be missing much." He felt Harry's eyes boring into him and hoped Sirius wasn't making him worry.

Kim frowned. "Okay. Well, we're going to make snowmen with Gabrielle and then we're going to look through mug shots in the Book Dungeon, but I-we won't see you for like a week!"

"Only half a week," Remus corrected.

* * *

They were dripping wet by the time they finished their snowmen and headed to the library. Kim tackled Draco to the ground when he complained that she kept magically making her snowman taller than his. Then Gabrielle jumped on top of their brawl and soon enough, everyone was dog piling on Kim and Draco. Sirius shook his head at them. "Go get changed! Remus will have my head if you _all_ manage to get a cold!"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Okay! Well, I'm still taller than Draco!"

"Are not!"

"Yes I am! There's a snowwoman outside to prove it!"

"That thing wound up being taller than Hagrid!" They were bickering all the way out, making Madame Pince glare at Sirius. He waved at her sheepishly, hoping she wasn't going to kick them out.

Once everyone returned, dry and warm, they spent hours sorting through all the mug shots and wanted posters that Kingsley provided. They took all pictures of women out first and then spent forever listening to Kim say over and over again, "No, no, no, Ew! He's gross. No, no, no, no." Finally, after Kim thought her throat was going to shrivel up, she saw him. He looked much younger of course, and he was screaming, but it was definitely him. Trying not to smile, Kim triumphantly kept silent.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Kim, the word DEAD is stamped in red at the bottom. I actually remember them taking his body out."

Harry frowned. "Barty Crouch? Like Percy's boss?"

Sirius shook his head. "His son. I was already in, but I heard it was a huge scandal." He felt his heart clench at the memory of Alice and Frank. "Anyway, he couldn't handle it in there. Happens a lot actually. They give up and refuse to eat." Sirius felt himself becoming distant but snapped back to reality before anyone could say anything. "His mother died soon after, from the grief."

"But couldn't he have done what Scab-I mean Pettigrew did?" Ron asked.

"I saw them take out the body!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Mrs. Crouch died soon after? Dementors are blind. Sounds fishy to me."

Ginny stared at the young man in the picture. "Everything's fishy to you!"

"Because I'm a Slytherin! Fine, then does he have a brother or something? Because Kim _thinks_ it's him."

"Only child. Alright. Let's keep our eyes peeled for a dead man then." Kim narrowed her eyes at Sirius. She would have said no if it wasn't him!

* * *

Dora was at St. Mungo's with her mum. Well, what was left to her mum. Whenever Dora had some kind of problem or just wanted to talk she went to visit her and showed her the memories of whatever was on her mind. She knew Andromeda wasn't listening, couldn't listen, but it still felt like she was. Dora just showed her a date she had with Kevin. They went to some fancy French restaurant, looked at the menu, laughed, and then got up and went to a movie. Then they got Chinese food and Dora showed him around Diagon Alley.

"I mean, sometimes I can't stand the sight of the cocky jerk and others, he just…gives me butterflies. I don't know what to do!" Andromeda stared at her blankly, which Dora pretended was a signal for her to continue. "He tells me that he likes me and, like, expects me to fall head over heels with him instantly." Dora lowered her voice even though there was no one else in the room. "And I can just tell, he's _experienced_. He never gets nervous and does all the right things. Pulls out my chair, holds the door open, holds my hand when I want him to. As if he can _feel_ when I want him to! But he's never tried to kiss me. He gives me this look like he wants to, but never does. I think he wants me to tell him, but why would I tell him? So unromantic! But what if I'm not like those other girls that he _must _have been with! What if he doesn't want to kiss me?"

Dora felt her eyes bulge when her mum's eyes started to drift to the pictures that she and her dad left for her. She spun around so fast when Andromeda's eyes focused on one of them that she fell out of her chair. Scrambling off the floor, she grabbed the framed photo that her mum was staring at. It was a picture of Andromeda and Ted when they were younger and still dating. They were laughing. Andromeda had jumped on his back to scare him while Ted had a goofy smile on his face when he realized who it was. "But you always said that you were perfectly confident with Dad…Wait a minute! Are you saying I'm a goof like him?" Andromeda's mouth twitched. Dora ran over to the healers, who insisted that it was a muscle spasm, but Dora knew otherwise. Andromeda was coming back for her Nymphadora.

* * *

All the Gryffindors were excited for their first Potions class without Professor Snape. Harry had to admit that he felt a little guilty about the fact that he was excited for Snape being in physical therapy, but the man had made Potions a living hell for him for the past three years. They were all harassing Kim with questions. What is she like? Is she an easy grader? Is she hot? That last one came from Dean. Kim frowned and thought about it while chewing her pancake slowly. "She will let you get away with murder." Fred and George high fived while Sirius scowled at Kim's choice of words. "But if you make her angry, may God have mercy on your soul," she finished darkly.

Harry didn't know what to make of that, so when it was time for the fourth year Gryffindors and Slytherins to make their way to Potions, he couldn't help but be a little nervous. She was sitting on Snape's desk, flipping through _Witch Weekly_ with a bored expression. When they all sat down, she frowned at them. "What do you guys see in this magazine? If I wanted to know how to get a boy to like me, I'd just ask him." She flipped through it again. "And how many of you all could afford shoes like these? Hell, they aren't even in my budget." Hermione gave her an expectant look. "What? Oh yes, potions. First of all, I'll set the ground rules. Pass notes, and they will be read in front of the class. Do homework for another class in here, and I will tear it to shreds. Cheat and you will receive a zero. Talk while I am talking, and I'll hit your knuckles with a ruler. Bully another student and be warned that my detentions run until five in the morning. Any questions?" She smiled at them brightly.

Ron timidly raised his hand, and she nodded at him. "What about homework?"

She snorted. "I think it's a waste of time." Hermione looked put out. "I'll do the assignments with you if you need extra help. I'll make study guides before the two tests you'll be having while I'm here. Do them a few days early, and I'll check it over. Do that and you'll be fine. I just care that you know it, not how many times you can write down that you know it." Cecily tapped her chin, deep in thought. "Now where'd I put those lesson plans…?"

"There's a large stack of paper on the desk," Daphne said drily, looking at her as if she were an idiot.

Cecily clapped her hands together. "Oh yes! Five points to…What are you a Hufflepuff?" Daphne glared at her and shook her head. "Just kidding, Lovey! Five points to Slytherin!" Cecily frowned at the fact that everyone sitting together was wearing the same house colors. "This will not do! School is for making friends and learning while you're doing it!" Hermione gaped as if Cecily just cursed her out, thinking that school was for learning and making friends while you're doing it. "Scatter!" Neville got up and switched sweats with Theo. Daphne smiled shyly while Hermione didn't look as pleased. Nobody else moved. "Oh, come on! You can't hate each other that much! Five points to Gryffindor, Mr…?"

"Longbottom," Neville said bashfully.

Cecily smiled at him and quickly gave one everyone numbers. "Okay! Find the person with the same number, and they're your lab partner for the next two months."

Harry stopped dead when he saw who else number seven was. "No. Way."

Draco clenched his fists. "Just stay quiet and do what I say Potter. I'm not failing because of your stupidity."

"Mr. Malfoy!" Draco froze and saw Cecily's beautiful face contorted with anger. "I'm afraid you're going to be spending the night with my lover." Draco stared in shock as the class started laughing. "You are going to dissect pig fetuses with him until the sun goes down, and then you are going to cook bacon with the house elves until the sun comes up. And then we will talk about your detention."

"But-But!"

"Maybe if you didn't act like a butt, this wouldn't have happened, Mr. Malfoy." Cecily pulled out the lesson plan for the day. "Everyone take a seat so we may begin." They took a seat without a word as Draco realized what had just happened. Not only did he get detention during Potions class for the first time ever, but a new teacher just made an example out of him. Him! Draco Malfoy, dubbed the Slytherin Prince by scared first year Hufflepuffs, was being used to keep other students in line. Blasphemy!

Nobody else seemed to have a problem with Cecily. She insisted that the title Professor was for old people and chatted about fashion and Quidditch while they waited for the Potions to boil. At the end of the class they planned a secret picnic together in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, as long as everyone was friendly with each other. Vince even volunteered to test the poison at the end, laughing with the class when he squawked like a bird instead of speaking. Draco thought his laughs were rather demented. He gave Vince the antidote, half hoping that Potter had messed it up. Half the class had made the poison while the other made the antidote. They would make the opposite of what they made before the next day.

Still, Draco found himself pouting at the end of class. "It can't be that bad, Malfoy." Potter smiled at him. "Kim says you like medical stuff. And Cecily's…boyfriend is a Healer." Potter shrugged. "You humiliated me, so she humiliated you, think of it that way." Potter walked away without another word. Draco brooded as he headed off to dinner with Vince and Gregg. Was this how it felt when he made fun of people in front of others?

* * *

Mad-Eye watched as his class shuffled in for the first time since Pomfrey let him out of the Hospital Wing, looking through their bags with his new magical eye. This one was green. They were a nervous lot, which Mad-Eye supposed was because they thought he was the Death Eater. "Listen up! From the sound of things, this bastard was actually doing a good job. However, we are going to spend the week studying disguises that have been used by dark wizards throughout time. Polyjuice has a smell. Glamours can be taken down with just the flick of one's wand. We're going to start off by finding out how to spot a liar. Anyone know how to tell if someone's lying?"

Harry frowned. The Death Eater, who Kim thought was Crouch Jr., was too much of a good liar to spot anything, but then he thought of Dudley. He always lied to teachers, blaming Harry for things that he had done. Harry raised his hand. "Sometimes, it seems like they go out of their way to look you in the eye."

Mad-Eye nodded. "Excellent! Five points to Gryffindor. When people lie they also provide too much detail, to try to dance around the truth…"

They spent the rest of the lesson talking about people who lie. Harry honestly thought the lesson was a bit much. Sometimes people fidget or change the pitch of their voice just because they're nervous. Also, he had a feeling that a Death Eater would be too much of a skilled liar to do any of these things. Hermione was the only one with guts to say this though. Mad-Eye laughed. "They always mess up somehow. You just have to have CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" The class jumped. "Trust can make you overlook things, make excuses for things. For instance, if someone is writing a letter and immediately put it away when you enter the room, do you wonder why? If they aren't willing to tell you, maybe they've got something to hide." Hermione looked like she thought Mad-Eye should be on some kind of medicine.

* * *

Remus smiled as Harry walked slowly into his bedroom later that week. He was just started to feel better and wanted to make sure Sirius didn't get to Harry. "So what did he tell you?"

Harry looked at the ground. "Er, that you wanted to talk to me?"

Remus chuckled and shook his head. "No. Sirius likes to lead others to believe that I'm made of glass."

Harry bit his lip. "He said if we woke you up and told you what happened that you'd have a heart attack."

To Harry's surprise, Remus started laughing. "I think if I was going to have a heart attack, I would have had one years ago, living how I lived then. Sirius shouldn't worry so much, or he's going to be the one having a heart attack."

"But—"

"To be honest, that will be something I have to worry about in the near future, but until Madame Pomfrey says otherwise, I'm not worried about it." Remus smoothed the blanket he was under, wondering how much he should say to Harry. "My life expectancy isn't high but that doesn't mean anything. Once and a while you hear of someone who was bitten and their family helps them so they live longer. I can't expect to be doing this in my seventies…"

Harry's eyes widened. "But they might make something to help by then!" Remus winced at the boy's hopeful tone.

"You sound like my father." Remus glanced at all the potions he'd have to choke down today. "But that was before Wolfsbane, so maybe you're right."

* * *

Sylvia looked around the Burrow, thinking how nothing came to mind but cozy. Winky was attached to her leg as if the elf was a child, peering around shyly. Mrs. Weasley hugged her the minute she stepped through the front door. "Remus told my how awful your parents are to you children. You should have come over much sooner!"

Sylvia smiled. "So I won't be any trouble?" Percy rolled his eyes. She had begged for almost a month to move in.

Mrs. Weasley withdrew from the hug. "Of course not! But I don't think it would be appropriate for the two of you to share a bed."

Sylvia thought of the time Kim pulled her pants down in public and blushed. "Oh! That's taken such a load off my shoulders." She put her hand over her heart. "I was afraid you would expect us too! I've never…" She paused for effect. "_You know_." Mrs. Weasley breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Sylvia tried not to giggle. Percy was clearly outraged, but Sylvia didn't care. If he hadn't made the competition by threatening her with Penelope, Sylvia wouldn't have to try so hard to get Mrs. Weasley to like her. The truth was Percy had slept over her apartment a week before the World Cup. Sylvia never said she was a good girl. Well, until today that is.

"Wh-What?" She made her lip quiver and pretended to blink back tears.

"Percy!" Mrs. Weasley's face was red with anger. "How dare you disrespect someone you care about?" Percy gaped. His mother never yelled at him like that. "Just because you want things to move faster, doesn't mean they are." Percy narrowed his eyes. Mum thought he was mad about Sylvia not wanting to stay in his room. "Now you be a gentleman and take up her bags. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Winky and I can help." Winky nodded eagerly. Percy grunted in annoyance and went to pick up Sylvia's two ton bags. Once he heaved them up and Mum headed off to the kitchen, Sylvia smiled evilly and wiggled her fingers in goodbye. He dropped a bag on his foot in surprise. How could someone who treated him so badly be the only woman he ever felt more than infatuation for?

* * *

When Harry found Kim a week before Valentine's Day, he was glad that Sirius wasn't around to laugh at him and Bill wasn't around to kill him. She was in the Potions classroom with Cecily, who was sketching designs for the outside of Snape's prosthetic. They ranged from silver, to black, to just looking like a regular arm. Still, the detail of the muscles was incredible. Kim smiled at him. "I think Snape will look badass with a silver one!"

Harry smiled and sat down. "I'm sure he'll complain about whatever he gets." Cecily snorted. The man had refused pain potions when Darwin offered them but was always grumbling about how the pain was enough to kill him. Her love was trying to magically revive some of Snape's nerves so they would work with the magical arm. It was a slow task, but Darwin Dublith wasn't one of the best healers out there for nothing. He would have everything worked out within the week, and then they would attach the man's new arm. Magic did the rest. The grumpy man would be back to teaching by early March.

Kim shrugged. "He just wants to hurt everyone's feelings! But I know better! He'll secretly love it," she ended with a whisper.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Am I foolish to ask you what I should do for Ginny on Valentine's Day?"

Her eyes widened. "Thanks for reminding me!" Harry guessed he should have asked Hermione. She pursed her lips. "Hmmm, it has to be big. Especially since this is Ginny's first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend." He figured she would have said something like that. "Are you willing to ask her to marry you?"

Cecily giggled at Harry's startled expression. "What does Ginny like?"

Harry thought for a minute. "The color blue, Bat Boogey Hexes, Quidditch, and animals… Oh yeah! And making fun of her brothers."

Cecily smiled. "Well, there you have it. A picnic on the Quidditch Field with blue flowers enchanted around you. Get her a kitten."

"I still think you should marry her," Kim grumbled.

Harry frowned. "I think the other plan would be less…ridiculous. But where am I going to get her a kitten?"

"I'm sure Hagrid can find you one."

"I'd prefer one that won't eat her."

Cecily put her chin in her hand. "My owl a while ago laid eggs…I have tiny owls flying around, shitting all over the manor. Would that be better?" Cecily suddenly looked annoyed. "She fucks like a jack rabbit. This is the third time in the past two years!"

Harry perked up, ignoring the first time he heard Cecily curse and now knew where Cole and Calvin…and Kim got it from. "Yeah. That would be great actually. Could Ron have one too? I think he's been a bit lonely without a pet."

Kim scrunched up her nose. "You can't get Ron a Valentine's Day present. Rita Skeeter would put it in the paper, and Ginny will cry!"

Harry blushed. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"I'll give him one," Cecily said with a smile. "He and Neville are the only ones that come to tutoring. I think that deserves a gift. It isn't easy admitting you need extra help." Harry smiled in relief. Every other Gryffindor was doing great in Potions without Snape. He would be sad to see his high E go down the toilet upon Snape's return.

* * *

"That's great! Thank you!" Harry grinned. Ginny was going to love next Tuesday!

Kim stalked down Draco a few hours later. "I remembered this time!"

Draco looked up from the book he was reading at dinner. "Remembered what?"

"What day it is next week!" Draco's eyes widened. _Oh shit!_ He had forgotten this time. At least he still had a week.

Draco made sure to keep his expression neutral. "Oh, yes, of course. Valentine's Day." He had not a clue what to do this time, especially since any food thing would probably be sabotaged by Theo.

Kim grinned. "I think we should get married."

"W-What?" Draco hoped she was joking.

She bobbed her head up and down. "Harry and Ginny aren't getting married, so we should."

Draco frowned. "How about we…" He gulped. Well, he had to make some sacrifices to avoid being a teenage groom. "How about we get Hagrid to take us to see unicorns instead?"

Her eyes shined. "Really?"

Draco counted to ten. "Yeah. I mean, that's what I had planned originally so…" He was silenced by Kim kissing him and running away, laughing like a maniac. Once she left, Draco couldn't help but think that she had planned this all along.

Daphne smirked at him. "You've gone soft. It isn't even legal for you two to get married! And isn't it a coincidence that Blaise and Pansy were talking about unicorns, like, an hour ago and that Granger brought them up in Care for Magical Creatures earlier today? She planted the whole thing in your head." Draco looked at Pansy and Blaise, who were snickering with their heads down, hoping he wouldn't see. Damn them all!

* * *

A week later, while Kim was trying to get Draco to ride a unicorn, and Neville was showing Daphne the stars in the Astronomy Tower, Harry and Ginny were eating blue berry pie on the Quidditch field. Ginny looked up in amazement. "I never thought of it as this huge! The goals posts look as tall as the castle." She turned back to Harry with a smile. She reached in to her bag and pulled out a snitch. "It's from when you won the Cup. Can you belief Wood's been hoarding it all this time?"

Harry grinned as she handed it to him. "I'm surprised Sirius didn't fight him to the death for it. I always wondered if they still work after the game. Thank you." He kissed her chastely.

"You have to reset them, but I think this should go on the Potter Wall of Fame, right next to your bandages from when you lost all the bones in your arm." She chuckled at Harry's wince and kissed him on the cheek. "So why was Kim saying that I was going to become a mother tonight? Should I be worried about my brothers killing you?"

Harry felt his face heat up. He hoped to God that Bill wasn't around when Kim said that. "No! It's not like that at all. Your present is sort of a baby." Ginny raised her eyebrows as Harry reached into the picnic basket. She covered her mouth with shock when she saw the fluffy Tawny Owl.

After taking a minute to collect herself, Ginny picked him up and hugged him close. "Aw! Melvin!"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"That's his name of course! He's Vin for short." Ginny kissed Melvin's head. Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing and wondered what Ron would name his owl.

As Harry found out the next day, Ron's owl was named Victoria, and Ron insisted that she was the smartest baby owl that ever lived. After that, Ginny and Ron started competing to see who was the best parent. Ginny even went so far as to hooting with Melvin while Ron jumped down a flight of stairs to try to teach Victoria how to fly. He read to her while Madame Pomfrey mended his leg. Harry was glad that Hedwig was too old to be part of this competition.

* * *

On the night of February twenty third, Professor McGonagall found Kim scowling at her DADA book after her detention with Professor Snape. "I would like a word with you, Miss Potter." Kim frowned as she got out of her seat. She hadn't done anything!

McGonagall shut the door behind her in her office. "Mr. Potter has to find what he would miss most in the challenge tomorrow. We've decided that it would be you."

Kim straightened up from the seat she was slouching in. "What about Sirius or Remus or Ron or Ginny or Hedwig or his Firebolt or—"

"You were the first blood relative of his that he met that is tolerable. You were the first to teach him what family was. He's always wanted a family, and as far as he can remember, you are the one to start it." Minerva tried not to huff at the thought of Potter swimming all that way for a broom. Severus would never let her hear the end of it. "You will be enchanted into a deep sleep and will be able to breathe underwater for an hour and a half. Do you agree? If not, I'll have to make Black and he already said he's wearing nothing but a bathing suit if you chicken out." She shuddered at the thought.

Kim clenched her fists, looking determined. "On one condition."

"Yes?" Ms. Granger had wanted to know every detail of the enchantments.

"I must be allowed to wear my strawberry hat and mittens!"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Remember that Kevin is really Calvin. Please Review!**


	19. Sick

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 19 Alternative Title: You Aren't Allowed to Die

Harry couldn't help but dread the second task. Sirius woke him up an hour and a half before the task, jumping on his bed in his dog form, barking and howling for Harry to get up. "Alright! Alright!" Harry grumbled. "I'm up."

Remus smiled as Sirius started running around the room in circles and tossed Harry a small container. "Just came in this morning. I imagine you would be in a state of panic without it."

"Thanks." Harry was relieved that he had the Gillyweed but frowned. "Why's he so excited?"

"I think anxious is a better word," Remus said thoughtfully. Sirius barked loudly in reply.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to get dressed." Sirius quickly ran out of the room while Remus rolled his eyes and followed him.

While fiddling with his toast at breakfast, Harry found himself being harassed by Malfoy. "Where is she, Potter? My mum wanted her to sit with us."

Harry shrugged. "Sirius and Remus said she's with Hermione, Gabrielle, and Cho." Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "No offense Malfoy, but I've got the task to worry about. If she's with Hermione, then I know she's not getting into trouble." Sirius snorted.

Still, Malfoy didn't budge until Ginny said, "You could always sit with us if you can't find her." Malfoy quickly scurried away.

"Ginny!" Ron whined indignantly. "What if he actually wanted to?"

Theo and Blaise tried their best to pay attention to only the second task when their parents arrived. Blaise's mum was practically sitting in Theo's dad's lap while he talked about old people stuff like liver spot removal. Theo felt himself turn green at the story he must of heard a hundred times about the botched potion that his father had made to get rid of one. Mrs. Zabini thought it was hilarious that his father managed to mix up ingredients and nearly lost all the skin on his head. Blaise was embarrassed that his mum was laughing so hard and so loudly around so many people. Pansy smiled dreamily at him, "Don't you hope we can have that much fun together when we're that age?"

Blaise ignored the fact that his mum was only thirty eight and known as the Black Widow. "No."

"What? They're having a blast!"

"They're are being weird and talking about disgusting things in public." Theo nodded in agreement.

Pansy made a frustrated noise. "I'd rather talk about that stuff than having nothing to say at all."

Harry felt himself starting to fidget as Bagman made his speech. Quickly, he shoved the Gillyweed into his mouth when the man said that they would jump in at his whistle. He flinched at each number as Bagman counted down, "One…Two…Three!" He dived in as the whistle blew, wondering when the Gillyweed would kick in. He didn't really know how to swim, but Neville explained to him that the Gillyweed would help him out. He kind of doggy paddled, like Kim insisted on demonstrating in the library to him a week ago, until he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He gasped and was surprised that he could breathe through all the water he swallowed as a result.

He swamp straight ahead, wondering what whatever he would miss most would be. The Black Lake was rather dark and gloomy, which he supposed fit the name. He couldn't see very far in front of him. Soon, he spotted some seaweed and figured that was a good place to hide something. Unfortunately, it was a good place for Grindylow to hide. Just as he was trying to peer into the plants, the beast grabbed him by his neck and tried to slam his head into the hard ground. Harry's screams filled the area with bubbles. Remembering that Remus had said that Grindylow had very brittle fingers, Harry grabbed the fingers on the back of his neck and squeezed, hard. He felt its fingers snapping and felt the whoosh of it hastily swimming away. Not taking any chances, Harry cast, "_Relashio_!" in several directions as he kept swimming along, hoping that no more of the beasts would follow him.

It wasn't until he had to find something in it that Harry realized just how huge the Black Lake was. At least it wasn't as cold anymore since he had the Gillyweed. Trying not to yell out in frustration, Harry wondered if he could ask some Merpeople for directions. Harry stopped swimming. That's it! If he found the Merpeople, then he could find whatever it is he would miss most. They had taken after all. Hagrid said it must be them after he explained how he learned what the egg was saying. But how was he going to find them?

The best Harry could think of was casting light in many different directions since the Black Lake was so dark. They could talk, so maybe Merpeople had a village or something. He stopped when he saw the glowing hue of a ghost. Silently, he swam over and almost groaned. Moaning Myrtle. And it seemed that she was arguing with the three angry Mermen. "I want to see the show too! Why do you guys get to have all the fun?" One of the Mermen stabbed her with his pitch fork. "That still hurts my feelings even if I can't physically feel it!"

Harry sighed, causing a bunch of bubbles to come out. The Mermen froze and spotted him. Sneering, they instantly swam away. Harry tried to yell out, "WAIT!" but only bubbles came out.

Moaning Myrtle shook her head. "Oh, you poor dear!" She quickly sped close to him, too close for his liking. "They are terrible people, well if you can call them people. They're trying to lead you into the opposite direction by the way. Their village is that way." She pointed towards where if Harry strained his eyes, he could see the shadows of buildings. He nodded in thanks and swam away as quickly as he could. However, he was able to hear, "Anytime Harry." He cringed at her flirtatious giggles.

When Harry reached the village, he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He could make out a floating strawberry and swam closer to find Kim, Hermione, Gabrielle, and Cho chained with some sort of brown, tough looking seaweed to the tail of a statue of some Merperson. A nearby Merman saw over to him and hissed, "You get the girl who is dressed like an idiot."

Harry looked over at Kim. She was wearing a t-shirt with a donut on it (strawberry icing with rainbow sprinkles) and lacy green skirt. She wore dark green flippers that Muggles use to go diving with along with, of course, her strawberry hat and mittens. Harry could have sworn that he could see a smile on her face, even in her deep sleep. _Well, at least someone was having fun._ When Harry cast, "_Reducto!_" to set her free, he was half surprised that she didn't open up her eyes to scare him. It was rather creepy, seeing her so still.

He looked around, panicking at the fact that no one else was in sight. Would they drown if the other champions didn't show up? He couldn't let that happen to Hermione, or the other two for that matter. Harry raised his wand to let the others out but was poked in the arm with a pitch fork by an angry looking Merman. He snarled, "Only yours!" Harry frowned at the blood coming out of his arm. He would have to wait.

He didn't have to wait long though because soon enough Cedric swam over with what appeared to be a bubble around his face. He looked at to what bound Cho in panic. He tried yanking at it, using a rock on it, and using a pair of scissors that he had in his pocket. Just before he tried using his teeth, Harry tapped his shoulder and mouthed, "_Reducto!_" Cedric relaxed and cast the incantation.

Grabbing Cho, Cedric mouthed, "The others are coming! You have to hurry." Then he quickly swam away. Harry agreed that he should leave, but he would never forgive himself if Hermione and Gabrielle died just because he wanted to win a race.

A few minutes later, Krum, or at least who Harry thought was Krum, zoomed over with a speed that was definitely not human. His face was that of a shark while the rest of him was still human. He zipped through the seaweed that Hermione was tied to, severing it with ease. Without even looking at Harry, Krum hurried away with Hermione stuck to him like glue. Harry almost laughed. Ron will never let Hermione forget this.

Now the only one Harry had to wait for was Fleur. And he waited and waited and waited. Harry wished he had a watch, but from how excited the Merpeople were getting, he could tell that they were running out of time. He raised his wand to release Gabrielle, but again, he was poked. Getting frustrated, Harry pointed his wand at his attacker and was surprised by how scared the Merman looked. Quickly, he pointed his wand at the surrounding Merpeople, feeling relieved that they flinched. As a warning, he sent, "_Expelliarmus!_" towards one, purposely missing. They quickly scattered. Smiling, Harry freed Gabrielle and grabbed her and his sister, swimming away as fast as he could.

He was surprised that two small girls could be so heavy. He supposed it was because they were kind of dead weight and that the Gillyweed was probably wearing off, making him feel the pressure of the water. The water was still dark and now that his wand was tucked away, the Merpeople were swimming around him, dancing in the water with glee. Harry wondered if they wanted to see the show of three young people drowning.

Gulping, Harry soon realized that he was swallowing nasty water and not breathing with it. He tried not to vomit, kicking his flippers harder, only to realize that they were back to normal. At least it was getting lighter. Soon enough, after his lungs felt like they were going to burst and his head was hurting, Harry could finally see the surface. He broke through the icy water, coughing and spluttering. He was just about to drag Kim and Gabrielle to the shore when he saw big, brown eyes staring at him excitedly. "Ah! What the hell? You were sleeping!"

Kim giggled. "Can we swim some more? It's been forever since I've swam! Like a whole year and that was only a couple minutes!"

Harry frowned. "Go under the water, and I'll kill you." He started swimming away, helping Gabrielle with him.

Kim moaned like Myrtle but followed him. "But I thought I would be what you missed the most! You _like _me!"

"Well when you say it like that, I think I'll have to rethink saving you." But Harry still smiled, since his back was to her, and she couldn't see.

"WHAT?!"

Sirius was at the water before Harry was even close to the shore. "What happened to your head and your neck and your arms?!" Kim and Gabrielle scurried off in search of Fleur.

Harry touched the top of his head. That Grindylow must have slammed his forehead into a rock or something. Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "You know, Grindylows and pitchforks, the usual." He felt relieved that the task was finally over, ignoring the fact that he was shivering. Remus handed him a towel once he came to shore. Harry took it gratefully, but he couldn't stop shivering. His teeth were even chattering.

Harry was barely paying attention when they read out the scores. He suddenly felt very tired and just wanted to go to sleep. He jumped when Ron clapped him on the back. "You tied first place with Diggory! At least you got something for being a noble git." Harry smiled back weakly.

"Let's get you out of those wet clothes before you catch a—"

"Achoo!"

Remus frowned at who interrupted him. "Please tell me you're joking."

Kim shook her head. "That's how I sneeze!" She narrowed her eyes. "Got a problem with it?"

He sighed. "No. Let's just get you both back to the castle."

Sirius frowned. "Are you okay, Harry?"

Harry nodded, even though he was shaking from head to toe. "Y-Yeah. Just tired and cold." Sirius cast some heating charms on him, and they set off to the castle.

* * *

Harry wasn't sure if the Gryffindors threw a party again and was too tired to care. After taking a hot shower, he felt almost too hot and went straight to bed, throwing off and putting back on his blanket every few minutes until he fell asleep. When he woke up, Harry found himself drenched in sweat, and the whole room was dark. He could hear Neville snoring in the distance. "R-Ron…" Harry broke into a coughing fit before he could wake up his best mate. After coughing for a few minutes, he felt too weak to get up and fell back asleep.

The next morning, Ron was shoving bacon in his mouth when Kim punched him on the shoulder. "Ow! Oh! Right! I almost forgot." He poured her a glass of strawberry milk.

"Not that!" Kim looked annoyed. "Where'd you put Harry? You didn't let Rita Skeeter get to him, did you?"

Ron shook his head. "No. He's sleeping."

Sirius choked on his coffee. "_Still?_"

"He's been asleep since around noon yesterday," Remus said with concern. "We assumed he'd get up in the middle of the night and head to the kitchens."

"He's been asleep that long?" Seamus frowned. "Well, he was up all night coughing. Sounded really congested." Kim was about to smack Seamus on the back of the head but paused to marvel at how fast Sirius made it to the doors of the Great Hall. Then of course, she smacked him on the back of the head. "Hey! I figured he had a cold or something. I didn't know he's been sleeping for nineteen hours! Blame him!" He pointed at Ron.

Ron brought up his hands in surrender. "Sorry! I just didn't think about it!" Kim rolled her eyes and got up to follow Remus and Sirius. Ginny, Hermione, and Ron joined her after the girls took a moment to glare at poor Ron.

By the time the four of them marched up the stairs, Sirius had already managed to wake Harry up. Ron flinched at the sight of him. He looked like hell. "Come on," Sirius said gently. "Let's get some food in you and Madame Pomfrey will fix you right up."

Harry opened one eye. "I'll mow the lawn in a minute, Aunt Petunia." Kim covered her mouth to hide her smile, knowing Sirius would rip her head off if he saw it.

Ginny felt his forehead and quickly pulled her hand back. "Are you going to levitate him to the Hospital Wing?"

Sirius nodded, but at that moment, Harry shot up so quickly that everyone jumped. "What are you doing here?" He was looking at Ron. "Did you get the bars off? Good. We'd best be off." He started to get out of bed and held the best post as he started coughing. Sirius tried to hold him steady because he swayed once he was standing up. He took one look at Sirius as his godfather put his glasses on, turned the other way and threw up all over the floor.

Kim scrunched up her nose as Sirius helped him back into bed. "Maybe Madame Pomfrey should come here?"

Remus, looking green at the sight of the vomit, said, "I'll firecall her downstairs." He practically ran down.

Hermione took a good look at him while Kim flicked her wand to clean up the throw up. "Is it a magical illness?"

"I hope not," Ron said. "Then we all might get it. Can you imagine having dragon pox?"

"He doesn't have dragon pox! He'd be all gross looking." Kim frowned. "Grosser than now. I think he had swallowed icky water in the lake."

Madame Pomfrey quickly bustled in with Remus. "What are the symptoms?"

"He has a fever that's making him hallucinate, vomiting, he's been sleeping since noon yesterday…" Remus shrunk a little at the look Madame Pomfrey gave him. "And he was shivering rather bad yesterday and has a terrible cough."

"Dry?" she asked immediately. Remus shook his head in the negative. "I think it's either the flu or pneumonia." She flicked her wand a few times. "Definitely pneumonia. His lungs are in a terrible state." Sirius looked like he was going to pass out. "I'm sure Darwin can make something to clear them out. If it is from bacteria, he will be feeling better in a few days from antibiotic potions. But if it's a virus, then it will just have to run its course."

"Lake water!"

Madame Pomfrey looked irritated. "That damn Tournament." Kim's mouth formed an O. "I'll be back in a few minutes with the potions."

When she left, Sirius sunk into Neville's bed and put his face in his hands. Kim plopped down next to him. "Don't worry Sirius! Sylvia had pneumonia once when she was ten but was back to playing with me in less than a week!"

Sirius looked at her quickly. "He could _die_."

Kim looked fearful but shook her head. "Not true!"

"He's not going to die," Ginny said firmly.

By the end of the night, Harry was back to the real world and wondered why everyone was in the boy's dorm. "I—" He never got to finish though because Sirius made him forget what he was going to say when he gave his godson a bone crushing hug.

"Don't ever get pneumonia again!"

Harry blinked. "Pneumonia? I think I just have a cold or a little fever."

"Sirius said you were going to die," Kim tattled. "You aren't allowed to die," she finished sadly.

"I'm not going to die." Harry paused to cough into a tissue and ignored the fact that there was a little blood in it and that his chest hurt. "I think after all the stuff I've done, that I could at least die from something better than pneumonia."

Remus smiled, looking relieved. "Pneumonia is an infection in your lungs. You have to take a potion to kill the bacteria from it and something to help with the congestion. You should feel better in a few days."

"But you aren't getting out of bed for a week in a half!" Sirius interjected. "And we're getting you a new winter coat in Hogsmeade. The one you have is three times your size."

Harry grinned. "It's from when Dudley was eight."

"You thought Sirius was Aunt Petunia," Kim stated happily.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I give you my sincerest apologies."

* * *

Harry felt almost entirely better in about five days and was just a little tired. He only admitted to himself that Sirius's coddling was a bit suffocating. He even waited outside the bathroom whenever Harry needed to use it or take a shower, insisting that he needed to know if he passed out. All of Kim's lessons except Potions were in his room because Sirius didn't want to leave him alone. Cecily came over for her last day of teaching with a batch of cookies. "You left Mr. Malfoy without a lab partner," she said softly.

"Somehow I don't think he was too put out about it." Harry was sure Malfoy was dancing in his seat.

She giggled. "He complained the whole time that you left him too much work to do by himself." She lowered her voice in a whisper. "But I think he was just lonely sitting by himself." Cecily bent over and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope see you again sometime." She stopped on her way out and looked at Kim. "He chose the silver one by the way."

Kim brought her fist in the air and then brought it down. "Yes!"

Harry stayed in bed (mostly for Sirius) for about four days after he started feeling better, but on the tenth day since he got sick, Harry was surprised to find himself practically begging to go back to his lessons. He was not surprised, however, that Sirius was against it. "What if you get sick or tired? What if Snape tries to bother you? What if they give you too much work?"

Harry bit his lip, trying to figure out what to say. "I have to go back sometime, Sirius."

"Sometime but not today."

"Harry can be homeschooled with me!" Kim smiled like it was the best idea in the world while Harry sent her the death glare.

Before Sirius could agree, Remus said, "While we don't have much of a choice with you, I think it's a good idea for both of you to spend time with children your own age. Sirius, Madame Pomfrey said that Harry could go to school today. He's not sick anymore."

Sirius sighed in defeat. "But I want you to come straight back if you don't feel well. I mean it, Harry James." Harry raised eyebrows at the use of his middle name but decided it was best not to stick around to question it and grabbed his schoolbag before Sirius could change his mind.

Kim threw her DADA book in the air and laid face first on the ground. "Now what are we going to do?" she mumbled.

Remus smiled. "Go back to a classroom and teach you about dueling."

* * *

Barty decided that now was finally the time to creep out of the Room of Requirement, especially now that he had a plan. The only problem was how was he going to get into that old goat's office? He was sure Moody had anti-summoning charms, so he couldn't just summon what he wanted. The old man must be at the feast right now, and Barty decided to take the risk of trying to break in. He was just about there when he saw two kids in the hallway. He froze, trying not to swear to give himself away. They weren't moving so he got a little closer and realized they were snogging. It was Neville Longbottom and Daphne Greengrass. Barty chuckled. Their eyes were closed. "Nice." By the time they turned around to see who had spoken, Barty was gone.

Stepping into the classroom, Barty could already tell that there were wards in Moody's office, and wondered how he was going to get past them. He considered giving up when he spotted Moody's desk in the classroom and almost slapped his forehead at his own stupidity. How could he have forgotten? Barty strolled over to the desk and tapped the secret compartment with his wand, almost shaking with glee. They were just where he left them. All the assignments he ever graded for Kim, and the margins were blank, ready for his instruction.

* * *

Kim rubbed her eyes the next morning after Hermione spent almost fifteen minutes trying to get her out of bed. It was the usual, and Hermione learned how to get dressed and call her name at the same time after a year and a half. Luckily, once Kim rolled out of bed, she hardly ever got back in, so Hermione was able to get to breakfast in time. She stopped when she heard a tapping at the window. "Do you know that owl?"

Kim yawned. "No. It's probably Cole being an asshole. Oh, I dropped all my potions down the toilet. Make me more," she mimicked. "Sometimes even Raven gets sick of him."

Hermione shrugged. "You can give it to Lavender or Pavarti if it's theirs at breakfast." And then she left, leaving Kim to grab the letter.

Kim frowned when the owl flew away without waiting for a reply. _That was weird._ There wasn't anything written on the envelope, which was even weirder. She still opened it though, thinking that it was an emergency, and the person was in a rush. Her blood turned to ice when she saw what it was. A quiz from September, and something was written in the margin.

In the Common Room, Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes. "For the last time, Sirius, I'm _fine_. This isn't the first, or the last time, I'm going to get sick."

Sirius's eyes widened. "This isn't your first major illness?" Harry wanted to bang his head against the wall. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Padfoot, he's going to flip out on you. God knows I would have by now," Remus added under his breath.

"_Remus_, he sickly," Sirius whispered as if Harry couldn't hear him.

"Is this a joke or something? Because this is the first time I've been sick in the last five years." Harry didn't understand. It wasn't like he was on his death bed or anything.

Before Sirius could demand to know what happened five years ago, Kim stumbled down the starts. Harry could only describe the look in her eyes as high. It only furthered his suspicions when she slurred, "I'm confused." Her hair was clearly damp with sweat, and she looked like she wanted to throw up. Harry hoped she didn't catch pneumonia. Could she catch it? Harry was sure that if she could she would have already gotten it by now.

Remus jumped up from his seat and walked up to her. "What's—" She felt to the floor and just like September third year, she started seizing.

Bill had to say that this was the hardest case he ever had. When Hermione ran into the Great Hall to tell them what happened, he knew that something fishy was up. It was only about fifteen minutes after the incident, so Bill raced to the Hospital Wing to find out what was wrong. She was very still while Madame Pomfrey was panicking to find out what was wrong. Rudely, as his mother would say, Bill pushed past her to open Kim's eyes with his fingers. The pupils were so large he could barely see the iris. Not wasting any more time, he set to work. It took him all of five minutes to figure it out. He felt sickened by seeing the memory of her doing it. "He made her take all her potions in her room. What they are, I don't know. Just hers. I think they're under her bed."

"No wonder she looks like she swallowed a quaffle," Madame Pomfrey muttered under her breath. "I'll retrieve them. Somebody fetch Severus."

Nobody moved once Madame Pomfrey was gone. Bill frowned. "I guess I'll get him."

Bill felt his brothers', his sister's, Hermione's, and even a few Slytherins' eyes on him as he went to back to the Great Hall. Fleur ran up to him. "Bill? What iz wrong?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now I need to talk to Professor Snape." She nodded in understanding and ran back to the Ravenclaw table to tell Gabrielle what he said. When he walked up to the teachers table, Snape gave him a look that would scare any student away, but Bill was no longer a student. "We need your help in the Hospital Wing. I'll explain on the way." The Potions Professor grunted in annoyance but still rose quickly to follow him.

Just when Severus was brought up to speed, Madame Pomfrey returned to the Hospital Wing with a huge cardboard box. Severus raised his eyebrows at all the potions. "Is she dead?"

"Shut the fuck up, Snape!" Severus glared at the mutt but chose to ignore him.

He dumped the contents on to an empty bed. "Half of these shouldn't be ingested. Make that most of them." He picked up the bottle one by one, identifying their purpose while Pomfrey wrote them down. Bill went to find Dumbledore, who went to find Dublith at the Leakey Cauldron. "This one's for hair removal…dry skin…burns…cuts…stain removal…to alleviate menstrual cramps…removal of nail polish…Why does this girl insist on making everything herself? This last one heals bruises." He identified them by the smell.

Harry stared at him. "So what now?" Severus winced at the fear in his eyes, Lily's eyes.

"Believe it or not, stuff like this doesn't happen often at Hogwarts," Severus said slowly. "It will take me a couple of days to make something." He took a step back at the look on Black's face.

"Sylvester accidently drank bleach when he was five." Every jumped to see Healer Dublith smiling at them. "Ever since then, I've been prepared for what these little devils are up to. You're lucky because I was going to leave today but decided to check out Gringotts. Can you believe they wouldn't give me a tour?"

"While that is a shame," Remus said shakily. "Do you think you can?" He gestured frantically to Kim.

Dublith blinked. "Oh, yes of course. Don't worry my friends, she'll be jumping on the bed by dinner." Madame Pomfrey handed him the clipboard, which he scanned quickly. "I've got just the thing, although I'm sure she'll be embarrassed when she finds out about this later." He chuckled.

"This. Isn't. Funny." Sirius looked like smoke was going to come out of his ears.

The Healer simply shrugged while he shifted through his bag. He pulled out a jar with little round, dark green fuzzy balls. They were about the size of golf balls. "I don't know what to call them really. I'm always inventing stuff but never taking the time to name them." Kim turned her head away when he tried to put it in her mouth, even though she was still unconscious. Not batting an eye, Dublith forcibly shoved it in. He used his fingers to keep her mouth shut while she chewed and swallowed. "That's it." He took out his wand and conjured a bucket. "It's a good thing she didn't take the potions I made her because if she took too much of that a hole could have torn in her stomach, causing this mess to leak into her organs. That would have been, well, tragic. I'd suggest a bedpan in case some of it made it to her intestines."

Sirius took the bucket in confusion while Snape followed Dublith out of the room. "I don't understand." Kim suddenly leaned over and vomited black liquid all over his shoes. Sirius looked down and said, "Oh."

* * *

Barty listened to the gossip through the air vents in the Room of Requirement that day. So they figured it out? That curse breaker sure was good. He was surprised they found out that quickly. However, that was just to shake things up a bit and freak out Black since Harry Potter had just recovered from his own illness. The real fun was going to start once she was released.

* * *

Kim frowned at the bitter taste in her mouth when she woke up. Why didn't Hermione wake her up? She opened her eyes to see that the lights were on in the Hospital Wing and that it was dark outside the windows. "What the hell?" Her frown deepened. "Am I in a diaper?"

Harry smiled. "When dinner time passed about five minutes ago, Sirius said you were going to die. But you aren't allowed to die."

"Why am I in a diaper?!"

"Because you poisoned yourself."

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Darwin," she hissed.

"Darwin saved your life," Remus informed her.

She waved him off. "That's his job! He doesn't have to make me poop my pants! Is this at least clean? And who changed it?" Remus took one look at her embarrassed face and couldn't stop laughing. Today and last few weeks were so stressful that he couldn't help it.

Sirius glared at Remus, who was wiping tears from his eyes. "You were Imperiused to drink all the potions in your room! What the hell happened?"

"I got a letter…" She trailed off, not able to say anymore.

Harry got up and stretched from where he was sitting all day, waving away a beetle that was buzzing around him. "Hermione said that. The Death Eater was writing stuff in the margins of your papers before. Did you get an old assignment or something?" She said nothing. "Well, we guessed that a couple hours ago. I guess you can't open anymore letters." Kim pursed her lips. In the margin, it said to open all unmarked letters. Great.

Changing the subject, Kim exclaimed, "Remus's birthday's in three days!"

Remus smiled. "I think I'd rather have a birthday where nothing exciting happened."

"That's no fun! I was going to get you…" Her mouth clamped shut. "You shall see in three days."

Unfortunately for Remus, the next few days would be anything but calm.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be a bit sad. :( Please Review!**


	20. Tragedy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Calvin may seem a little like a jerk for his lack of concern in this chapter, but he acts like this because what happens was typical for him growing up. Also, because of Lee, they are into muggle stuff even though they were raised "pureblood", and Cecily hated Alexander, which is why there's a "Secret Muggle Room".**

Chapter 20

Draco was just about to storm into the Hospital Wing the next morning when Kim almost knocked him over by throwing open the doors. He could only stare. She was chattering away like nothing happened, and the Weasley twins were joking about having to potty-train her. "I'll have you know—" She smiled at first when she saw him, but Draco dumbly watched her face fall at the sight of his pallor. "What's the matter?" He froze, unable to form words, causing Kim to shake him slightly. "Hello? Is anyone in there?" She wrapped her knuckles on his forehead, finally allowing Draco to focus.

"What do you mean, what's the matter?" Draco brandished the newspaper at her. "I thought you were dead." Kim paled at the headline, "Suicidal Potter?" by Rita Skeeter but relaxed after reading a few lines.

Black snatched the paper from her. "How'd she find this out? Albus banned her from the castle not long ago." Growling, he ripped the paper to shreds. "Clearly it's not true." Skeeter would have had to been in the room to know what potions Kim took and how she was reacting to them. Even Sirius had to admit that Snape wouldn't stoop so low as to associate with Skeeter, and everyone else remained in the Hospital Wing for the night.

Kim ruffled Draco's hair. "I drank them all but…"

Draco subconsciously tried to flattened his hair. "Not willingly." He groaned. "The whole school is talking about how you're a potion addict and that you're slowly wasting away because you couldn't deal with the pain you were causing your family."

"I'm way too selfish to kill myself for that reason." She smiled weakly at him. "If I was going to kill myself, it would be because of a temporary psychotic break." Sirius flinched, and Remus looked at the ground while Harry glared at her. Draco narrowed his eyes but was too glad that the article was a lie to question it.

"Well that's good then." Draco bit his lip, wanting to kiss her but feeling weird about doing it in front of everyone else. "I'll see you later then." He ran off, looking back several times.

Kim giggled. "He's going to do something stupid!"

* * *

As it turns out, Kim was right. Rita Skeeter made a terrible mistake. Not only did she upset a Malfoy, she had the nerve to cross that same Malfoy's path a few hours after doing it. They were still learning about the doxies in Care for Magical Creatures but were studying (from a distance) their eggs today. Some of the girls were excited to see them hatch, but Draco wasn't in the mood to even make fun of them for it. He thought his girlfriend was as good as dead today just because Skeeter thought it would be good entertainment. He was sure the bitch was already writing about Kim's miraculous recovery.

Draco fought to keep his surprise off his face when Skeeter started talking to Hagrid. He saw Granger whisper something to Potter and Weasley, causing both boys to look temporarily shocked and then turn defensive. Draco took a step closer. "Perhaps you would like to conduct an interview later, Mr. Hagrid?"

Draco gaped at the woman's audacity. So she was at it again? She had a lot of nerve. Draco felt himself raise his wand. "_EVERTE STATUM!_" Draco blinked when Skeeter flew backwards and hit a tree. What did he just do?

Ron whistled at the now unconscious Skeeter. "Never thought I'd see the day when Malfoy defended Hagrid."

Hagrid, however, didn't look so pleased. "Mr. Malfoy! She jus' wanted to know more about the doxies!"

"I-I…" Draco hoped to God she wasn't dead. How was his father going to get him out of this one?

"Professor Dumbledore will be hearin' abou' this, Malfoy," Hagrid growled, reminding Draco of a giant bear. He scooped up Skeeter like a ragdoll and started heading towards the castle. "Class dismissed!"

Of course, the Golden Trio ran up to him as the class scattered. Draco just wanted to be alone somewhere to brood. Granger spoke first. "She was trying to trick Hagrid into admitting he's a half giant. Viktor and I heard it while we were in the bushes. He told Madame Maxime all about it." Weasley scowled when she mentioned the bushes. Granger caught it instantly and snapped, "We wouldn't have been there if you hadn't upset me so much at the Yule Ball."

But Draco wasn't paying attention. "I'm going to prison! Why didn't that oaf leave the body here so I could at least try to hide it?"

"Because it was still breathing." Potter rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

"WAIT!" Potter stopped. "If I have to go into hiding—"

"Your father will buy you out of prison, Malfoy." Weasley snickered. "But it will be funny to see his face when he finds out why you attacked Skeeter." Draco yelled out in annoyance and strode off in search of Kim.

Kim was bouncing in her seat, listening to Remus explain how to transform a cat into a mouse when Draco burst into the room. "I'm a terrible person!"

Sirius grinned. "He finally admits it!"

"But if you're a terrible person, then I'm a criminal!" Kim picked Crookshanks up off the desk and hugged him close.

Draco shook his head. "I almost killed Rita Skeeter."

The room was silent for a minute until Kim said, "Cool."

Draco opened his mouth to say more, but then he heard, "Mr. Malfoy? Your father is here." He turned around to see Dumbledore, eyes twinkling as usual. "She just has a small concussion. However, she would like to know what is troubling your teenage soul."

"Tell her you were drafted into Napoleon's undead army!" Kim piped in.

Draco frowned. "What?"

"Ugh! I swear, I know more about history than you do! Napoleon? The short guy?" Kim shook her head. "You are deprived." Lucius walked in the room, glaring at Draco. Kim smiled and waved. "Hey."

"This is all your fault," he snarled.

"Probably."

Lucius chose to ignore her and turned to Draco. "I am treating her to one of the finest hotels in London, and you are going to tutor first years for Severus for the rest of the year." He gave him a look of disgust. "Assaulting a woman. Pathetic."

Kim rested her chin in her hands. "My dad says that women are magically equivalent to men so the only time you can't beat them up is when they're old or pregnant."

Lucius went rigid for a moment and then walked angrily over to her. "Your father is a coward."

She stood up from her seat, smiling. "The pot calling the kettle black."

Lucius stared at her for a long time. Without looking away, he said, "We have to arrange what time you are tutoring each week, Draco." Draco gulped and nodded.

* * *

Barty laughed to himself in the Room of Requirement. Hogwarts sure was full of gossipers. Lucius's boy got himself into trouble with someone from the press. Good. Draco always got what he wanted. Barty didn't mind that other one, Theo. Theo didn't get her in the end, and Barty always knew he wouldn't. But Draco, he knew, had a chance that Barty would never have. Draco would never know what it would be like to be lonely. Draco wouldn't have to hide from everyone for almost a decade and a half.

And then there was Kim. It wasn't exactly Kim that Barty was attracted to. It was the fact that she knew who he was and she wouldn't, couldn't, turn him in. She could never betray him. He was safe with her.

Of course, once the Dark Lord came to power, Barty would be safe everywhere, and he wouldn't need Kim anymore. But he will enjoy killing her though, after he turned her into a broken little toy. First, he'd kill Black in front of her, then the wolf, Harry Potter will already be dead, and he'd save Draco for last. Maybe he'd kill him in front of Lucius too. Lucius didn't answer the Dark Lord's calls. Lucius was as good as a traitor in Barty's eyes. He deserved to be punished.

But until then, he had Kim and that would have to be enough. Sifting through all Kim's papers, he decided to pick a test that she completely failed since tonight would be far from perfect for her and started to write. He whistled the Hogwarts song as he did it and kept whistling as the Room of Requirement provided him with a Hogwarts owl.

* * *

Kim yawned as she headed up the stairs. Sirius had bragged that Harry was a better dueler than her, and while she had known it was true, she still had challenged her brother. Now that she looked back, they must have tricked her into practicing. Either way, it was late and everyone else was asleep. Kim wondered if Hermione had a test tomorrow and would freak out if she woke her up by accident. She stopped next her bed when she heard the tapping outside her window. She felt the fearful tears running down her cheeks as her feet moved as if on their accord. She knew this was coming, but she thought he would give her a break like he usually did when they were on to him. He told her to open any unmarked letters, and she was forced to obey.

_Meet me on the fifth floor. I will find you. Don't be seen. Rip up the letter._

* * *

Cho was heading to Ravenclaw Tower with a big smile on her face. Cedric said he loved her! She couldn't believe it. She felt like she was soaring. She loved him too, naturally, but didn't want to tell him before now because she thought it would pressure him into saying things he didn't mean. Just before she was about to reach the Ravenclaw Tower, Cho saw two people kissing in the shadows. She almost giggled to herself and ran off, but then she noticed something. The girl, the smaller one, was perfectly still, almost ridged. Cho frowned. It was after hours, and while she wasn't a prefect, she still could pretend to be. "Hey. You! Over there! Leave the poor girl alone and get back to your dormitory." She tried her best to sound authoritative like Percy Weasley.

The boy, no man, turned around. Cho found herself too terrified to scream. She saw the girl looking at her with glassy eyes. The man looked like he was beyond rage. There was nothing in his face that gave this away except for a look of bloodlust in his eyes. His shoulders were tense and his fists were clenched. It was when he started breathing heavy that Cho found the courage to run.

As the girl ran away, Barty panic wash over him that was much worse than when was arrested. He couldn't go back. He just couldn't. "Damn it!" His fury brought Kim back from whatever lala land she was in. Before she could dumbly ask what was going on, Barty grabbed her by her cheeks. A small squeak escaped her. "_Imperio!_ Go back to your dormitory and don't mention this night to anyone." She walked away slowly. Now all he had to do was find the girl.

Kim didn't know what was happening. One minute she was one place and then another and now she had no idea where she was. She wasn't brought back to reality until a hand covered her mouth. "Didn't think I'd give up that easy, did you, Sweetheart?" he breathed into her ear. "I met that bitch Skeeter in the hotel I was staying at, and she told me how to get into the castle undetected after I bought her a few drinks and gave her a good fuck. Luckily my animagus form is small. Back to the manor for us, my little dumpling."

The hand released her but not for long enough for her to scream, just long enough for a cloth to be put over her nose and mouth. She passed out in a relatively short amount of time, maybe from the shock instead lack of oxygen.

* * *

As Cho saw the green light, she found herself grateful that he killed her quickly and without suffering. She saw the hungry look in his eyes and knew that he wasn't done with the rest of her yet, but she didn't care, as long as she didn't have to be there during it. She closed her eyes so it would be just like going to sleep. When she woke up, a whole new adventure would be waiting for her. If only she got to finish the one she was leaving behind.

* * *

Sirius was just about to magically send a water balloon up to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory when Minerva walked solemnly into the room. There were still students around, chattering before breakfast. Many froze at the sight of her teary eyed expression. They were all silenced when she started to speak. "Classes will be canceled until Monday." She paused, daring anyone to start cheering. "I'm afraid there has been a death in Ravenclaw." There was instantly whispering. "Silence! I am hoping that no one will be celebrating this time off and will take the time to remember Cho Chang. Leave her friends and Cedric Diggory alone. There will be a service on Sunday." Minerva dabbed at her eyes. "That will be all."

Sirius and Remus instantly started to follow Minerva into her office. Harry and the rest cautiously followed as well. Once inside, Hermione whispered, "Kim wasn't in her bed. It clearly wasn't slept in. I thought that maybe she had stayed up all night and was in the shower or something."

Harry shook his head. "No. I-I mean, she wouldn't. She couldn't."

"She probably didn't mean it," Remus said hoarsely. "I knew I should have taken her to the cottage. I knew it! But like an idiot I thought she should be around her friends, that we could keep things under control."

"Stop. Just stop." Minerva choked back a sob. "Miss Chang was sexually assaulted after her death. The aurors think it is highly unlikely that Miss Potter was an accomplice. They think…"

"That he killed her too," Sirius finished.

* * *

Calvin had just sat down with Dora for donuts at the Leaky Cauldron when his old house elf Sprink came into the establishment with a _pop_. Dora smiled. "Is he yours?" Calvin gulped. Yes, yes he was.

"Master Calvin." Sprink wrinkled his nose at the sight of Dora. Her smile faltered. "I have a letter for you." He handed him the letter and apparated away. Calvin swore.

"Did he just call you Calvin?" Dora looked like she didn't want to believe it.

Calvin sighed. "I didn't want you to find out like this." He quickly changed back to his brown haired, brown eyed self. Dora covered her mouth to hide her gasp. "I—" He was silenced when she slapped him.

"And here I thought you actually cared about me." Tears welled up in her eyes. "But I wasn't even worth knowing your real name, what you really look like."

Calvin frowned when she stormed off. Well, he definitely deserved that. He'd find her later. Right now, he needed to open that letter. Sprink promised not to contact him unless there was an emergency, and the house elf was never one to exaggerate. He read letter in less than two minutes. "Aw fuck!"

* * *

All the kids, even Draco, were looking at every detail on the Marauders Map while Sirius paced Albus's office. Remus and Albus were discussing where Lestrange Manor could be while the teachers searched the school. Calvin frowned at the scene, which Hagrid escorted him to once he apparated to Hogwarts gates. "So I was coming to ask if Kim was here, but I guess that's my answer." He fiddled with the paper in his hands.

"She's nowhere in the bloody castle! We looked everywhere." Calvin raised his eyebrows at the exasperation in Sirius's voice.

Harry looked up from the parchment that Calvin was frowning at. "You were asking if she was here, as in the castle, not if she was with us." Calvin nodded. "How would you know she might not be here?" As far as Harry knew this hadn't reached the papers yet, although it was only a matter of time. Calvin winced and handed him the letter.

_ Dear Calvin,_

_ You've had your fun long enough. Come have dinner with Kimberly and me. We'll both be eagerly awaiting your return._

_ Sincerely, Your Father_

Calvin winced. "I had hoped he was bluffing, but then I came here to this…" He gestured around the room.

Sirius looked at the paper and laughed a little crazily. "So we thought she was with a rapist, but she's really with a sadist. Well, I don't know about you all but that makes me feel tons better." Calvin was reminded of the hysterical women that wouldn't calm down unless slapped in those old movies Lee used to watch.

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked. Sirius opened his mouth to say that Harry was going to do nothing but quickly shut it at the look he gave him.

Calvin's mouth twitched as he tried to keep himself from smiling. "Father probably will think that I will sneak in at night. He works at night. So today he's going to work during the day, maybe bang his mistress a few times. He can't stand being in the house with my mother for too long. He'll also get a kick out of the fact that I will have had the perfect opportunity during the day but missed it because I thought I knew he would be there." He chuckled. "Yes. He'll be gone be noon."

Ginny made a confused face at his speech. "You're sure?"

Calvin thought for a minute. "Nope."

"Are you an idiot?" Draco barked.

Calvin frowned. "First of all, fuck you. Second of all, Sprink and Molly are loyal to me. They'll confirm it if I ask."

Before Draco could have a tantrum, Ron asked incredously, "And then what? You'll just show up and take her?"

Calvin nodded, glad everyone understood him. "I'll take her to Cole's for a couple days, let her watch _The Little Mermaid _until she stops crying, and have her back here as good as new."

"We're going with you," Harry said.

Calvin shrugged. "Be prepared to watch _The Little Mermaid_ until your eyes bleed." He pursed his lips at everyone around him. "I can't bring _all_ of you. Do you know how hard it is to break wards through floo, keep them broken, and go across the ocean?"

"Sirius and I…and Harry will go." Remus noticed Malfoy gritted his teeth and was glad the boy held his tongue.

Calvin covered his mouth for a moment, thinking. No werewolf had ever come to the manor willingly. Finally, he said, "Alright." He checked his watch. "Sprink!" The old house elf appeared. He had tuffs of gray hair coming out of his ears and wore glasses that made his eyes look even bigger than other house elves. "Is Father going out today?"

Sprink made a face that reminded Harry of when Dobby disobeyed an order. However, it was gone in a flash. Surprisingly, he didn't have the squeaky voice that most house elves have. It was actually rather deep. "He's watching Quidditch tryouts with the Minister at noon. I would wait until 12:30 though." He shook his head solemnly. "Sprink is a bad elf."

Calvin crouched down to Sprink's level. "Oh, Sprink. There's nothing wrong with being bad. I mean, remember how much fun we had that time shaved Grandma's head while she was sleeping?"

Sprink nodded but still looked sad. "That was fun. And Sprink never told."

He clapped the elf on the back. "You see! It isn't bad if it feels good. I'll see you at Cole's by one." Sprink bowed and left with a _pop._

Hermione stood up in outrage. "Why didn't you tell him he was doing something good? He's helping you save your sister!"

Calvin laughed at the thought and said sarcastically, "Like he'd believe me."

"Because he was brainwashed by people like you!" Calvin's eyes turned cold. He stared at her for a long time as if he were debating whether to hit her or not. Hermione stood perfectly still but held her ground. "He should be free."

"Freedom is for those who want it." Calvin took a step closer, making Hermione flinch. "Do not talk down to me. I am not going to be swayed by your rhetoric. Save your breath for someone less conservative."

Hermione shivered at his coldness. "You're a monster."

"I'm human." Calvin looked away. "I dated a Muggleborn once. She was rather featherbrained. Eager to learn everything and just regurgitated everything I said. But you're rather interesting. However, I am choosing not to listen to what you have to say."

The room was rather silent after that. Albus sighed. Miss Granger would have to be more subtle when it came to people like Calvin. "I suppose you will want to get to work on my fireplace. You have about two and a half hours until 12:30."

For the next two hours, Calvin could be found fiddling in the first place, muttering seemingly random spells and jumping back when fire spewed out. He always knew when the fire was coming though, and Ron watched him with complete fascination. The fire ranged from orange to green to white. Harry resisted the urge to start pacing with Sirius. Hermione kept shooting Calvin glares, which he ignored and started humming to himself with a smile. Ginny and Draco continued to check the map, as if Barty Crouch would just appear.

Finally, after two hours, Calvin was finished. "I think this deserves some sort of award." He sighed. "However, if this were to come out, I would only be rewarded with up to five years in prison." He clapped his hands together. "So, we've got half an hour to kill. Anyone have a funny story to tell?"

"You're an asshole," Draco dared to say.

Calvin threw his hands up in the air. "What the hell? I come here out of the kindness of my heart, and this is how I'm repaid! First…" He gestured in the general direction of Hermione. "Girl over there and now you! I could have just went about my day as usual or picked her up myself and leave you all to worry." Calvin smirked. "Plus I'm sure your fucking my sister so I have every right to kick the crap out of you."

Draco turned paper white to pink to a deep shade of red. "I-I am not!"

Calvin blinked, pretending to be surprised. "Really?" Harry could tell this was how Calvin wanted to spend the next half hour if no one was willing to tell a story.

"It's inappropriate!"

"So you're a prude?"

"What? No!" Harry wondered how long it was going to take Draco to have a meltdown.

"So you think Kim's ugly?"

Ginny finally put her foot down. "Oh for God's sake, someone tell him a story!"

Albus smiled. "Once, when I was a young lad, I decided it would be funny to fill the Great Hall with bats."

Calvin nodded in satisfaction. "Why bats, sir?" Everyone stared at his sudden politeness.

"Because I wanted to scare all the girls, of course. I was only eleven." Albus chuckled. "I found girls to be quite icky." Albus went on to explain that one of the teachers had a phobia of bats and ran around the Great Hall screaming at the top of his lungs until one flew close to his head, and he passed out. The other teachers tried stunning them, but the Great Hall wasn't bat free for days. All the girls were indeed scared, except one. A rather tall, Slytherin prefect had bats for pets and managed to catch one. She then proceeded to use her wand to make it chase Albus around the room. "And to this day, I am terrified of bats."

"So why did you hire Snivellus?" That earned Sirius an annoyed look from Remus. Albus chose to ignore him.

"That was one of the greatest stories I've heard in a long time." Calvin grinned and looked at his watch again. "But I think it's time to get going." Harry felt his heart start to speed up. "Say into the floo 'Pendragon Hall'. There are multiple fireplaces in the joint, and I want us to wind up in the entrance. It's easier to get to the dungeons that way." Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but Remus silenced him with an impatient, frantic look.

Harry was the last to get into the house and had a weird feeling. It was almost like the house was empty even though he knew it wasn't. No one was around. The floors were wood and the walls were a soft green. A black vase filled with dead flowers in it was on a dusty stool next to a leather couch against the wall across from the fire place. Calvin gestured for them to follow. The middle of the room held a large white staircase, but Calvin was heading for a door that was under it. "Cal? Is that you?"

Calvin swore under his breath while his three companions spun around. "Y-Yes, Mother. I left something at home that I need to pick up."

Mary stared at him until her eyes could focus properly. "I was told you were staying for dinner." Harry saw she had an empty wine bottle in her hand.

"I am, but you see…I wanted to bring my new girlfriend with me." Calvin felt the gears moving in his head like lighting. "But she spilled grape juice all over her dress and refuses to come through the floo. Do you think you could get her something to wear? She's about Sylvia's size."

Mary swayed. "Who? Oh wait. Her. Yeah. I'll find something." She sluggishly trudged up the stairs.

"It'll take her a while to remember where Sylvia's room is, but we don't have forever. Come on." Calvin threw opened the door and practically ran down the stairs.

Harry was reminded of more of a cellar than a dungeon. It was dusty and old, and Remus couldn't stop coughing. Ron would have passed out from all the spiders. The floors were wooden, but it was so dusty that you had to look real close to tell. "Dad puts a charm to keep it like that. It makes it hard to breath and freaks you out."

Torches lit down the hall with each step they took. Finally, they stopped at a wooden door. Surprisingly, there was a portrait at the top of it. The man appeared to be in his mid-forties and had Cole's features and Calvin's coloring. "A werewolf has never entered this dwelling willingly! What is the meaning of this?" he barked.

Calvin tried to ignore him. "Pure."

"I asked you a question, Boy! I will not have such filth visiting! I knew I should have lined the floors with silver."

"I said the fucking password, Grandpa. Now open the fucking door before I get the fucking scissors and cut your dick off. It's the frame that has the permanent sticking charm, not you," Calvin said impatiently.

The man snorted. "You remind me of Russell." The door swung open.

When Harry walked in, he was frightened by the silence. The various torture devices were stained with blood. There was a fresh puddle in the middle of the floor, but it was already starting to dry. He half expected the dungeon to be full of screaming tortured people. But there was no one, thankfully. He saw Calvin look around the room and figured that he was confused by this too. "Is she not in here?" Sirius whispered, hopefully.

Calvin blinked back into reality. "Oh no. She's over here." He started walking to a wooden coffin in the corner. Harry felt like the wind was knocked out of him. What did Kim say when she was joking about catching Greyback? _I'll put a tracker on Remus and then take Greyback to the Pendragon Family Dungeon, where I will whip him until he loses consciousness and then throw him in the coffin until he wakes up, then I'll start all over again until he dies._

Slowly, Calvin pried it open. Kim popped her head out instantly like a prairie dog popping out of its hole, looking around wildly but not really seeing anything. Calvin took a rubber band out of his pocket and tied her hair up. Harry winced. There were bloody slashes in the back of her shirt. "I'll fix you up in Cole's basement." He started to pick her up. "And then we'll have loads of fun." She nodded and snuggled into his chest.

"Wouldn't a hospital—?" Remus started to say.

"And have it in the newspaper? Ha! You'd be surprised you quickly this can turn into your fault, Wolf." Sirius decided he'd had enough and transformed into Padfoot.

Remus took Sirius through the floo to what Cole had recently renamed Cole Land, Harry went next, and Kim and Calvin went last. Cole's house was definitely much warmer. It was clear the place was lived in. Pictures were everywhere. Coats were haphazardly thrown on the coatrack. Calvin marched down to the basement, which wasn't a dungeon. He plopped Kim down on a table and started sifted through a cupboard. She smiled crazily at Harry, Padfoot, and Remus, who were all rooted on the spot. Calvin tossed some salve onto the table, flicked his wand to open the back of Kim's shirt, and peered at her back. "What the hell is that?"

She giggled. "Staples!"

"What the hell are you on?"

"Whatever was in my porridge and OJ!"

Calvin yelled out in annoyance and turned back to the cupboard. "She won't remember this by the way. So don't worry." He took out pliers and a potion. "Close your eyes if you're squeamish." Kim didn't say a word while the staples were taking out but immediately started to cry when the salve was put on. Remus choked back a sob. "I'm giving her a sobering potion." He handed it to her, and she drank it without hesitation. "Oh and Kim?"

Now that she knew what was going on, she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Wha-What?"

"_Oblivate!"_

* * *

Harry had to say that if he ever had children, they would never even know what _The Little Mermaid_ is. If he had to hear the song "Kiss the Girl" one more time, smoke was going to come out of his ears. Kim didn't remember what happened but was able to deduce it by the stinging in her back. So immediately she started crying again, and they all had to watch the movie, which wasn't so bad the first two times. Remus and Sirius fell asleep by the third time they watched it, and Calvin went to go do something. Harry was afraid to fall asleep though. Kim was still awake too and was biting her nails with tears in her eyes, completely mesmerized by the movie. Harry wondered if this was why she stayed up so late. He couldn't sleep after just _seeing_ that dungeon. He couldn't imagine having to spend time in it.

Kim looked away from the TV in what was dubbed "The Secret Muggle Room" and whispered, "Do you want to watch _Aladdin_?" After six hours, Harry would have gladly watched a video of Dudley taking his first steps.

She finally passed out around midnight, which made Harry grimace when he realized it was Remus's birthday. He was sure that Remus wouldn't be in the mood to celebrate. He got up and stretched, jumping when he heard a bark behind him. "I don't know about you, but I'm about to piss my pants." Padfoot nodded. They walked out in search of the nearest bathroom. "I think she's going to be okay." Padfoot whimpered. "I don't think this is the only time she's been oblivated."

Kim was back to her old self the next morning, which Harry wasn't sure was a good thing or not. They hadn't told her about Cho, and Sirius and Remus spoke in hushed tones when they thought no one was around. Kim tried to get him to play air hockey. He tried but couldn't focus and kept losing. Of course, she wouldn't stop laughing at him for it.

Cecily doted on them in a very Mrs. Weasley-like way, making sure to bake tons of sweets for Remus's birthday. Kim gave him a tie with pictures of books on it, which Calvin had Dumbledore send through the floo. Remus wouldn't stop staring at her until she giggled and called him a creep. Sirius stayed as Padfoot most of the time. Harry tried to act like everything was normal but found himself being more quiet than usual.

During a lunch of chocolate cake, Harry asked, "When are we going back to Hogwarts?"

"Tomorrow of course! We need the weekend to get settled again." Harry wished Kim knew he wasn't asking her.

Cecily and Calvin got up and went to finish their lunch in the kitchen. "We're going back Sunday night," Remus said in a strained voice. "But you and I are going to stay at the cottage for a little while. Sirius and Harry are going to come by on the weekends."

Kim looked startled. "Why?"

"Well…" Harry could tell Remus didn't want to tell her about Cho. "I have to talk to you about that. We have to find Barty Crouch Jr. before you can return."

She stared off in the distance for a while. "Did something happen?"

"He'll talk to you about that later," Harry said quickly.

Kim sipped her strawberry milk. "Okay." She looked like she was trying to remember something. Harry was sure that Calvin's memory wipe didn't help. "Do you want to watch _The Brave Little Toaster_?" Harry tried not to groan and nodded.

Harry and Kim were halfway through the movie when Cole stormed in. His black eyes held none of their usual mischief. They were dark with rage, and he looked tired. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

"Watching a movie, Stupid!"

"You need to go back to school. Now." Urgency rang clear in his voice.

Kim tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

Cole swallowed, looking like he was debating something. "Because if you don't, I'll beat you bloody." Kim went rigid, and Harry saw regret flash in Cole's eyes, but only for a moment. He took a step closer and raised his hand like he was going to backhand her, causing Kim to yelp and run out of the room. Harry ran after her.

For once, Sirius wasn't Padfoot and seemed to be arguing with Calvin. Kim pushed past him and ran over to Remus. "I want to go home!"

Calvin rolled his eyes. "I would need a few hours' notice."

"No! Now!" Kim demanded childishly.

Sirius gave Harry a questioning look. He muttered so Kim wouldn't hear, "Later."

Calvin gritted his teeth, not really wanting to listen to her. "_Fine_," he said through his teeth. "But only because I have a test to study for." He looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "I can get us to the Leaky Cauldron in fifteen minutes. Then you'll have to figure out how to get home yourself."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other. "We'll contact Albus when we get there," Remus said tiredly.

When Calvin was halfway through with the fireplace, they heard a frustrated yell and a loud crashing noise. The whole house shook. Cecily looked up at the ceiling. She frowned like she was trying to count to ten in her head but gave up halfway. She shrieked, "COLE ALEXANDER PENDRAGON! YOU BETTER HOPE TO GOD OR JESUS OR WHOEVER THE FUCK YOU WORSHIP THAT YOU DIDN'T BREAK ANYTHING!" She stormed off after him. Kim smiled to herself.

The house was uncharacteristically quiet after that. The silence dragged until Calvin stood up and declared, "To the Leaky Cauldron, my friends!"

Harry stepped through the floo half expecting Sirius to demand food, but again, everything was quiet, which was weird since they were in the Leaky Cauldron. He looked around to see everyone in the room staring at them, waiting for them. It all became clear when Russell stepped from the crowd, grinning like a maniac. Everyone in the room stood up from their tables, wands drawn. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! The reason Cho was raped was to illustrate how out of his mind and cruel Barty was. I think being under the Imperious Curse for over a decade messed him up more than he already was. Glimpses of his evilness were in GOF, especially when he asked Neville about the Cruciatus Curse, knowing what had happened to Neville's parents and having been involved with it. Also, his DNA finally proves to the aurors that he's still alive. I will explain in an author's note next chapter why I decided to have Cho murdered. Lucius set up Rita Skeeter in a hotel to keep her quiet about what Draco did, not knowing that Russell was at that hotel. Without her, Russell wouldn't have been able to get a hold of Kim. Please review!**


	21. Explanations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Don't worry! The story is going to lighten up for a bit after this!**

Chapter 21

Sirius immediately changed into Padfoot and lunged for Russell's throat. "_Crucio_." He fell in mid-jump and started yelping. Russell kicked him in the ribs until he was quite.

Meanwhile, Remus was struggling to hold Harry back. "He wouldn't want you to. He's going to be just fine."

Calvin stood in front of Kim's shaking form. "Hey, Dad!" he said nervously. "I was j-just going to my house to study for a big test, so…"

Russell narrowed his eyes. "You are living under a different name, meaning you've disowned yourself. May I ask why?" Calvin gulped. "You know, I never thought I would be childless. The house was always full of you screaming brats, and without you all pounding a migraine into my head every night, I'm starting to feel a bit…nostalgic."

Kim peeked past Calvin's arm, looking almost hopeful. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do." He was smiling again. "Why would I go to all this trouble otherwise? I could always…" He shuddered in revulsion. "…have another child if that was all I needed. But I want the family I have back."

Harry broke free from Remus's grasp. "LIAR! You just want control of your funds again." Several people (including Russell) laughed.

"It's more than that, Boy." Some old man in the back yelled. "It's about the power! It's always been the power! Cecily's made that boy soft and romantic. He'll run the Pendragons into the mud for some halfbreed whore."

Padfoot shakily stood up by the time the laughter died down. Russell chuckled. "_Crucio_." He didn't even yell this time, just changed back into Sirius, unconscious. Harry could have sworn edges of his vision were red. With a yell, he charged over, pushing Russell to the ground. He put his hands around the man's throat and squeezed as hard as he could. He was going to do it. He was going to kill the man who tortured his sister and godfather.

But then he was picked up by a woman who held him by his armpits and with surprising strength, pinned him against her. "You have Lily's temper," she whispered in his ear. "That's good. You're going to need it."

Harry was debating elbowing her to get out of her surprisingly tight grasp when the doors to the Leaky Cauldron opened. Dora strutted in with a warrant in her hands. "Russell Pendragon, you are under arrest for being an unregistered animagus. You were seen by the portraits of Hogwarts in the form of a garden snake." At the words 'unregistered animagus' everyone in the room, except for an old lady and Russell, apparated away.

"What did she say?" the old woman said loudly.

Feeling somewhat braver, Kim yelled to her great aunt, "SHE SAID THAT DADDY'S UNDER ARREST FOR BEING AN UNREGISTERED ANIMAGUS!"

"An unregistered what?" Harry looked at Remus as if to say, _you've got to be kidding me._

"ANIMAGUS!" Calvin screamed. "Get out of here!"

"Get out of what?"

"Somebody get her out of here," Kingsley commanded impatiently. An auror nodded and escorted the woman to a teashop in Diagon Alley. "'Cuff him, Tonks." Russell was reading the warrant with disbelief.

Russell did manage to tear himself away from the warrant to look at Dora. Her wand was on her belt, and she awkwardly held the glowing handcuffs in both hands. He smirked. "Rookie." She barely had time to register that he said that before he head-butted her. Knowing that the place was warded by now, Russell took out a gun and pointed it at Remus. "This bullet is silver. Even if I get you in the knee, you'll most likely die. The full moon is in a week. St. Mungo's won't take you for more than four days. A new law, courtesy of Dolores Umbridge."

Calvin yanked at his hair. "I'll go. Just leave him alone, please."

"No."

"No? I gave you what you wanted!"

"This is a bit personal, my boy." Russell took the safety off the pistol. "Now I can never go to London again. All because some wolf decided he had the gall to try to gain custody of a child. The both you and Sylvia are lost to me. My other son is… My brother is dead. And somehow, it all leads back to her. If Mary wasn't so cozy with the Ministry here…" He shook his head. Kim stood in her spot, eyes wide and filled with tears.

Kingsley held up his hands in surrender. "We'll drop the warrant."

"Drop the warrant? Kidnapping charges are tacked on to it. How can I kidnap my own daughter?"

"Because I'm not," Kim said quietly. "You've said so yourself. I'm not."

"An informal letter isn't me giving up custody, you pathetic little—" Russell made the mistake of looking away for a moment. Dora jumped off the ground and stunned him. He fell to the ground, stiff as a board, next Sirius.

Calvin grinned. "I think I'm in love."

"Shut up! I'm still mad at you."

* * *

Calvin said he had to get back to 'seducing' Dora, so he hadn't joined Kim, Harry, Sirius, and Remus for dinner that night. Sirius was a little sore, but Madame Pomfrey mended his ribs and gave him a few pain potions. Harry was afraid to hear Kim's reaction to Cho's death but knew it was wrong to go back to school that night. He felt anxious energy buzzing through him all throughout dinner. He didn't even know what he was eating. He just shoved food in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

Once he decided he was done fiddling with his food, Remus said with a sigh, "Are you able to tell us anything that happened the night you were taken?"

"I was…" Kim frowned deep in thought. Then her eyes widened. "Is Cho okay?" She freaked out at how suddenly everyone was interested in their plates. "What?! She-she was…I was… What happened?"

"She was found in a corridor on the second floor," Remus said slowly. "She appeared to have been dragged in there, since one of her wrists was broken."

"But she's okay, right?"

Sirius continued. "Cho didn't feel a thing. She was hit with the killing curse before anything happened."

"How do you know?" Kim demanded after a moment of silence.

"How do I know what?" Sirius looked at Remus nervously.

She jumped out of her seat. "How do you know it didn't hurt? It could be the most painful thing in the world for all you know! She died trying to help me!" Kim felt her throat constrict at mentioning something that happened that night, but she was too upset to understand and kept barreling on. "He was-was forcing himself on me, and Cho pretended to be a prefect and—" Kim started coughing so badly that she sunk to her knees, Harry tried to help her up, but she pushed him away.

Sirius was as white as a sheet. "I don't know if it doesn't hurt…" He let out a shaky breath. "But it was quick. I know that much. If she did suffer, she didn't suffer long." Harry wondered if Sirius was thinking of his mum and dad like he was.

Kim wiped at the tears running down her face with her sleeve. "What did you mean by she was hit with the killing curse before anything happened?"

Remus sent Sirius a look saying that he hadn't wanted to tell her that, but Sirius thought it was better here than having Kim read about it in the papers. "He…assaulted her after he murdered her."

Kim laughed without humor. "So he didn't want anyone to hear her screaming. He was going to do that to me. He should have done it to me!" She was nearly yelling now.

"But it's not your fault," Harry said quietly.

"The hell it isn't!" Screaming in anger and sadness, Kim waved her hand throwing her bedroom door nearly off its hinges. She stomped into her room, and the door shut behind her with a loud bang.

Sirius ran to the door, trying in vain to open it. "Kim!" He pulled at the doorknob. "Open the door! NOW!"

"Leave her alone for the night, Sirius," Remus said weakly. "I'll talk to her tomorrow." He turned to Harry. "Are you going to be alright going to school tomorrow?" Harry nodded, mouth too dry to speak. "You can come over this weekend."

* * *

Harry was filled in of what happened during the weekend by Ginny. Apparently, Cedric was found crying hysterically at several meals and decided to take a few months off from school. Cho's friends were always teary eyed and often skipped class. None of the teachers minded, however. Not even Snape.

In return, Harry told them about his own misadventure this weekend, earning disapproval from Hermione. "How could he just oblivate her? How often does he do it? I'm sure it's not good for the brain."

Harry glared at her. "Would you rather have her remember what happened? He used a staple gun on her back, Hermione!"

Draco, who joined them when he saw the group whispering in the library, looked bewildered. "What's a staple gun?"

Harry opened his mouth and then shut it. Sending one last glare to Hermione, he said, "It's a muggle tool. It shot small pieces of metal into her back…It's hard it explain unless you see it. They're thin and sharp and meant to hold things like paper together. I don't know why he would have it. Like I said, it's a muggle tool. You'd think he'd be averse to using it."

Draco looked a little green. "Is he going to be charged with child abuse?"

Harry frowned. "I don't know. I'm sure Sirius will want to. He's arrested right now for being an unregistered animagus. I'm not sure how the kidnapped charges would go. Apparently Sirius never formally adopted Kim. He said she was disowned in a letter. Russell said that it was informal and that he can't kidnap his own kid."

"We'll see what Father has to say about his," Draco said through gritted teeth.

Ginny sighed and blew her nose. "I just wish she wouldn't blame herself for Cho's death. This is all just too much." Harry put his arm around her, half for her and half for himself.

"Remus said this morning that you guys can come to the cottage too." Harry looked at Draco, trying to keep the reluctance off his face. "You'll have to talk to Dumbledore, you know."

* * *

Cole couldn't believe his luck. He was sure that Greyback's pack would be attacking his house, but Calvin was good at making sure Kim and Remus were undetected. He could care less about Sirius and Harry. They weren't the problem. The problem was that he was sure that the pack was spying on his house, so if Kim and Remus were caught, everything Cole worked for over the past year and half would have been useless. Cole couldn't have himself killed. Not now, not until he saved her. Not until he saved Agatha. Just thinking her name sent stabs of loneliness and fear of the unknown through his entire body.

Russell getting sent to prison was just the icing on the cake. Now Cole could earn his trust. Something that was important but not as important as getting what he wanted. He could have let Russell run. Werewolves loved a good hunt.

The irritable man frowned at him through the bars of the Ministry holding cell. "What are you doing here?"

Cole grinned. "Dolores let me in. They're busy interrogating some old geezer about his dead, well supposedly, dead son." Russell looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. He chuckled to himself and stood up.

The only reason Dora was allowed in the room during an interrogation was because Dumbledore was proud of her detective skills. Not many aurors think to interview portraits, he had said and told Kingsley that this should be her first investigation. It didn't matter that she was still training, Dumbledore proudly told her mentor. You just can't wait for such talent. Dora's father had never been prouder. She sat down across from Barty Crouch Senior while Kingsley lurked in the background. "Where is your son?"  
"Dead," Crouch said instantly.

"His DNA was found on Cho Chang's body. Are you willing to say that under truth serum?" Dora asked calmly. Crouch remained silent. "It will be the only way to keep the press off your back. Because unless this case is hot, we can't keep them out of it." The truth was that Fudge could if he really wanted to, but Crouch knew that Fudge would do whatever he felt like in regards to _The Prophet_.

"I loved him." Crouch took a sip of his water. "But by the time I realized that I needed to express it, it was too late."

Dora threw him an irritated look. "A girl is dead and another girl is under his control, and you just sit here talking to me like we're chatting over a game of Quidditch."

Crouch ran his hands through his hair. "I should have paid more attention to him. That's what my wife said, coughing up blood when she was finished. She said that she was dying and that there would be no one else on this earth that loved him once she was gone. I said that wasn't true."

"And?" Dora opened her arms as if to say _I'm all ears_. "If you've been hiding him, that's twenty years in Azkaban. We could look over it if you help us find him. Winky is Sylvia Pendragon's elf. She'll do whatever the girl says, even if it means betraying her former master." She shrugged nonchalantly. "An order's an order." Then she looked into Crouch's eye. "So what happened after you told your wife it wasn't true?"

Crouch took a napkin out of his pocket to wipe the sweat off his brow. Twenty years? _Twenty_? He didn't know how he was going to help them find Barty, but he was going to have to try. There was no saving the boy. His son had become a monster. "She looked me dead in the eye and said, 'Prove it.'"

* * *

Kim emerged from the bathroom around noon, eyes stinging and red. Remus was reading the paper but hastily threw it away. "I wrote to Cho's parents. I figured they deserved to know what happened."

"Did you tell them it was my fault?" she almost whispered.

"No. But I told them about how she tried to teach you how to fly and when all of you went to buy dresses together," he said gently. Remus hoped he wasn't making things worse for the Changs by sending that letter.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Tears poured out of her eyes once again. "They're supposed to never forgive me."

Remus sighed and for once, was glad Sirius wasn't here. "You know, Sirius thinks the same thing in regards to Lily and James." Kim gave him a questioning look. "It was his idea to switch secret keepers."

"But—"

"No. It's the same. You couldn't control what Crouch did while Sirius couldn't control what Peter did." Remus swallowed a lump in his throat that just wouldn't seem to go away. "I don't think Cho would blame you for this. You didn't kill her, and you didn't want her to be killed. There was nothing you could do to stop it. Sirius didn't turn Lily and James in, and he didn't want Peter to. Do you think Lily and James blame Sirius?"

"No!" Kim hated it when Remus proved her wrong like this. Why couldn't he just let her hate herself?

* * *

Sirius started pacing immediately after Harry told him why Kim wanted to leave for home so quickly. "Son of a bitch! Why would he do that?"

Harry frowned but was glad that his godfather didn't go on a rampage in search of Cole. "He seemed really freaked out that we were there. I think he just wanted to get us out at all costs."

"Isn't it a coincidence that he forced us out of the house, and Russell was there waiting for us?" Sirius rubbed at his chin. "I mean, I thought he was a good guy but…"

"But he said to go back to school, not the Leaky Cauldron."

Sirius fell into the armchair in his and Remus's rooms. "I think he would know that Calvin couldn't arrange it that quickly. I'd talk to him, but I'm sure I'd punch him in the face before he could get two words out."

Harry opened his mouth to say that maybe Sirius shouldn't jump to conclusions when Draco burst into the room. They stared at him as if he were Snape. "I remembered from last time how to get here." He rolled his eyes impatiently. "Did you see the paper?" They shook their heads in the negative. Huffing in annoyance, Draco thrust the paper angrily at them. The headline read, "Pendragon Breaks Out Of Ministry Holding Cell, Missing Without A Trace."

Sirius growled. "No way. That's not possible. That place is guarded by aurors!"

"If you read the article, Black, you would see that they were all found unconscious and had their memories wiped so clean that they couldn't even remember that Russell was in the cell."

The door opened again, and the visitor quietly shut the door behind him. Cole smiled at them, not looking as tired and desperate as he did the other day. "Hello! The old guy told me how to get here." He straightened his tie. "I guess I got some splaining to do!" He pouted at their faces, especially Sirius's angry one. "What? Don't tell me you have never seen _I Love Lucy_!"

* * *

Bill couldn't help but feel excited as he marched through the fireplace to the cottage. Now that he knew it was Barty Crouch Jr., whose magical signature was in the Ministry database, he could have Kim's curse removed within about a week or so if they worked really hard. The only thing stopping him from grinning broadly as he flooed into the cottage was the death of Cho Chang. He couldn't help but feel guilty at night when he was alone and everything was quiet. If he was a better curse breaker, maybe he would have seen that Kim was being forced to open unmarked letters and none of this would have ever happened. But he could still save Kim, and now he was going to try harder than ever to break this curse.

Kim was uncharacteristically quiet as she sat on the couch, waiting for him in the living room. She brought her knees up to her chest when he sat in an armchair next to her. "Remus said I can go back to school after you completely break the curse," she said quietly. "But I'm not sure if it's a good idea."

Bill pursed his lips. "Maybe you can show us where the guy is hiding."

"I can't talk about that night. Well, I did, talk about it that is, but my throat kind of closed up." She stopped looking at her toes and looked into his eyes. "It's hard to explain where he's hiding. I was outside of the place…"

Bill rolled up his sleeves. "Let's get to work. We don't know what we can do until we try!" Her eyes flashed with determination, and they set to work.

* * *

Sirius gritted his teeth. "So you didn't send us to Russell on purpose?"

Cole twiddled his thumbs at his seat. "Nope." He grinned. "But now everything is coming together nicely!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Draco demanded. "The bastard broke out!"

Cole blinked at him. "Who are you?"

"Kim's boyfriend!"

"Damn it!" Cole seemed really disappointed. "I bet Agatha that Kim would be with Lee and spend a shit load of time miserable while he cheats on her with other guys, and then get pregnant to try to make him stay!" He glared at Draco. "You ruined everything!"

Draco looked appalled. "That's a horrible thing to hope for her!"

"But now I'm out five galleons! And our first son will be named Adrian!" He threw his hands up in the air.

"That's a rather nice name, actually," Harry remarked.

Cole wrung his hands. "But's it's not Cole!"

"Alright! We're getting off topic here!" Sirius shot daggers at Cole. "Why did you threat to beat my goddaughter right after what happened?" Draco stiffened.

"_Because_…" Cole's tone told them he thought it was no big deal. "If I told Kim the real reason, she spiral into a depression that she'd never recover from."

"So you nearly scare her to death?" Draco snapped.

"Yes," Cole stated simply. "Kim may not look it…or act like it…or talk like it, but she's as tough as nails. She'll get over it."

Before Sirius or Draco could explode, Harry asked, "So what's the real reason?"

Cole's demeanor suddenly became more serious. "That's why I came here, so you'd know never to go back there unless I say." He leaned back in his seat. "Remember that article that Sylvia was a bitch and had put out. The one where I had to pay for the damages in Hogsmeade?" They all nodded. "Well, do you know what happened after the events that were described?" Sirius and Harry nodded while Draco looked confused. "I'm actually surprised that Calvin let her remember it. He's oblivated her more times than I can count, and that's just what I'm aware of."

"What are you talking about?"

Cole stared at Draco. "I'm going to look at this optimistically and say that's she's trying to put the past behind her. Push her and she'll go psycho on you. Anyway, that's the reason she is not to know what I'm going to tell you." He paused to formulate his words. "If you remember from the article, Agatha was taken. I can't remember if the pack was specified, but it was Greyback's pack."

Sirius brought his brows together. "But they're, well they were, in the UK. They've never gone to America. At least, from what I know."

For once, Cole looked nervous. "The pack came back to England from America, in late August 1993."

Harry's eyes widened. "When Kim came back." Sirius swore, for once glad Remus wasn't here.

Cole nodded. "From what I can deduce, Greyback was unhappy that Remus refused to join his pack during the Dark Lord's reign, and you know how he goes after people's children when they anger him…"

"So he's been stalking her all this time?" This was definitely something Sirius would have to tell Remus, but how was he going to do it without Remus wanted to rip apart Greyback with his bare hands?

"Yup. The Ministry even knew. Believe it or not, Remus was categorized as low risk. Still, they weren't going to let him know this. They thought if they sent Kim overseas that it would keep Greyback at bay, which it did, for about nine years anyway. If it wasn't for Greyback, Kim would have been at…" He frowned at trying to remember. "I've stalked them a number of times to see if Greyback was after you, Harry." He looked up at the ceiling. "I can't remember their names. The fat ones and the skinny one."

"You were at the Dursleys?" Harry hoped Cole didn't see anything embarrassing.

Cole snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "Yeah them. I wish I could eat that much," he said wistfully but was all business again after a split second. "They point is, nothing. It was like the place was a dead zone for magic."

"Harry is officially my godson, not Remus's, while Kim is officially Remus's goddaughter and not mine."

Cole nodded like it finally made sense. "Kim can't know about this because the night Agatha was taken, I was burned, and Sylvester was bitten…"

"They were really after Kim," Harry finished.

Draco felt the color drain out of him. Why did the girl he loves always have to get into so much trouble? "So you made her leave because…?"

Cole sighed. "Because I've managed to manipulate the situation so the only place they would be safe would be in the States. But if they knew Kim was in the house, all hell would break loose. They would storm the place. I've allowed them through my wards to try to gain their trust and have managed to get an informant. They would tear the place down brick by brick to snatch her." He looked at them all unsure whether or not to continue. "The reason Logan doesn't have a permanent mate is because Greyback wants it to be Kim. He wants Kim his female Beta."

Draco gaped. "You've got to be kidding me! She's not cut out for something like that!"

Cole shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's a personal snub to Remus."

Sirius groaned like he was in pain. Harry turned to him. "What?"

"How are we going to tell Remus about this?"

* * *

Narcissa didn't even tell Lucius where she was going today and hoped to stay clear of Draco. It would be better if she eased Lucius into this, but she wanted to make her position clear. The only one she confided in was Severus, who, she secretly admitted to herself, looked pretty cool with his silver arm. He told her how to get to Dumbledore's office and about his past experiences during to first war. Narcissa sighed at the thought that a second war was just around the corner.

Padding her way to the third floor, she smiled at all the curious kids watching her. If only she thought to bring baby photos of Draco. The boy's lucky that Lucius got to him first. Narcissa would never let him get away with what he did to that reporter that easy. Chuckling to herself, Narcissa said the password, "Lemonade," and headed up to Albus's office.

She was surprised to find that Albus seemed to be expecting her when she gracefully walked up the stairs behind the gargoyle. "Hello, Narcissa. I must say that while I knew you would come, I didn't expect it to be for a number of years."

"Why did you think I would be here?" Narcissa honestly thought she was being out of character.

"Because your son's happiness is more important than your husband's views." Narcissa had forgotten how annoying she thought that twinkling in the old man's eyes was.

She smiled to herself. "Maybe I just want to play on the winning team."

The old man chuckled. "Perhaps. But that is answer that Lucius would give."

"My husband is stubborn. He thinks the Dark Lord is a safer bet. However, during the last war, I couldn't help but live in fear." She took a seat as Albus gestured for her to do so. "Draco doesn't deserve that fear nor does he deserve to be forced into a way of living. Lucius will come around eventually."

"And if he doesn't?" Albus asked seriously.

Narcissa was silent for a moment. She was sure that Lucius would eventually follow her lead after he had a tantrum about her little meeting with Dumbledore today. Lucius would see how much better life is without bigotry and hunger for power. But what if he didn't? "Then he will be left behind," Narcissa found herself saying. She blinked back tears at the thought. She loved Lucius with all her heart, but she couldn't go through with following the Dark Lord again. She couldn't risk living the rest of her life fearing someone who wanted to be the leader of their world. "But I hope that he will be more open as time passes, and I know that it will take something big for him to do so."

"So what is it that you want, Narcissa?"

She swallowed at the lump in her throat. There was no turning back now. "I want to become a spy for the light."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! The reason Cho died instead of Cedric is because I want to show that all the burdens Harry in the books dealt with won't be all on his shoulders in my story. His family will be fighting through this war just as much as he does. Believe it or not, 5****th**** year won't be nearly as dark as 4****th**** in my fic…with a traitor in the Order! :o The ending of year 5 will just be a bit shocking and life changing for some characters. Then sixth year will be somewhere in the middle, not ending like the book did. 7****th**** year is still foggy in my mind. And then I will write here and there about their lives afterwards. Please review!**


	22. Pranking Sirius

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 22

Remus was shaking by the time Sirius finished telling him about Cole's visit. He bit his lip. "I should have waited until after the moon." The full moon was in three days.

"Are you mad? What if they came to the Burrow?" Remus tried not to anxiously jump out of his seat when Sirius grabbed his hand. "I'll have to tell her to tell no one where she's going Friday. I want her back here Saturday morning."

"They've never come to the Burrow before," Sirius said softly. "Besides they're overseas. But you can't tell her this, Moony."

"Can't tell me what?" Kim emerged from her bedroom, still exhausted from how hard she and Bill worked yesterday. Her nose had bled so badly that the blood had run down her shirt.

Sirius winced, hoping Remus would listen. There was no way Kim would be able to handle this right after Cho's murder. Remus strode over to Kim and gripped her shoulders. "Under no circumstances are you to tell anyone where you're going Friday. No letters, don't even ask Bill to tell anyone."

Kim frowned. She wasn't really planning to, but Remus sounded really freaked out. "Why?"

"Because I said so!" Kim flinched. "Do I make myself clear?" She nodded and ran back into her room.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Smooth, Love."

Remus tensed up, realizing what he just did. "I panicked. We have to tell her something. She won't understand the gravity of the situation if she doesn't know what's going on, and then she'll do something stupid."

"Well, if you were my mom…" Sirius grinned sheepishly at the look Remus gave him. "Fine! Fine! It's just my dad was never very involved, but I'll change it. If you were my _dad_ and did what you just did, I'd be writing to all my friends to tell them where I was."

* * *

Draco walked up to Harry at breakfast the next day. "Dumbledore said I'm allowed in this weekend, Potter."

Harry swallowed some scrambled egg. "Okay. That's good, I suppose." Ron started to groan until Hermione elbowed him.

"We have to figure out how we're going to cheer her up!" Draco narrowed his eyes at Ron.

"Cheer her up? It's not like she flunked a class, Malfoy. She's devastated." Harry was trying not to get annoyed. Kim wasn't going to jump out of bed one day and be over what happened to Cho.

"I know that! But it would be nice to get her mind off it for one day." Draco was trying not to get annoyed. "It's not like she's going to jump out of bed and be back to normal." Harry looked around at his friends in shock. Could Malfoy read minds? "But I haven't heard from her at all since what happened. I want to make sure she's okay and try at least make her feel a little better."

Harry thought for a minute, silently and reluctantly agreeing with Draco. "Then there's only one thing we can do." There was only one thing that would make Kim smile, and it was on Harry's to-do list after Sirius let him get chased around school by Bill. "We have to prank Sirius."

* * *

Kim glared at Remus the next day at lunch. She was still pissed off but spent all day yesterday trying not to show it. "How come whenever I _do_ do something, you don't get mad, but when I don't do something, you freak out?"

Remus stared, trying to figure out what to say. "Sometimes, I get worried over things like Sirius."

Kim frowned. "Not possible!"

"I'm sorry I got so upset. I just… The full moon always makes me anxious." Remus hated lying, but Sirius was right. Kim didn't need to feel guilty about something that was really all his fault. He bit the inside of his cheek. Didn't he have this conversation with Kim in regards to Cho? This was Greyback's doing, not his.

Kim looked at him suspiciously. "Oookaaaay. I can stay here Friday night, if it's that much of a problem."

"Absolutely not!" Remus said immediately.

"It was worth a try." Kim sighed. It wasn't like Remus was feral anymore, thanks to the Wolfsbane. So why did he think he was so dangerous?

* * *

Kim found herself bored out of her mind on Friday. Sylvia was out working and when she and Percy returned they were too busy being all lovey dovey to have any fun. Winky played chess but kept letting Kim win, so it wasn't really any fun like it was with Ron. Mrs. Weasley wanted her to relax and wouldn't let her help cook. Kim even stooped so low as to doing homework but would only do her Potions and wound up throwing her DADA book out the window. And then Mrs. Weasley was under strict orders from Remus not to let her go outside so she couldn't even busy herself with getting her textbook. She thought about writing to Cho's parents to apologize but then got depressed at the thought of them telling her how much it was her fault.

Therefore, it wasn't a surprise when Sirius walked through the floo the next day to find Kim beating Sylvia in the living room with a pillow. "Ow-ow! I'm sorry I love Percy more than you, but quite frankly, I wouldn't be rather creepy if I loved you both the same way!"

"You could have played with me for like an hour!" She thumped Sylvia with the pillow in between each word.

Sirius grimaced. "Do you think you can be quiet at home? Everyone's coming over but your butts are going right outside the minute they floo in." Kim nodded, causing Sylvia to morph her teeth into her panther form and make a noise that was somewhere between a hiss and a growl. Percy made his entrance at that moment and made a horrified expression. Sylvia smiled at him with large, sharp teeth. "Okay, well Remus is sleeping. I put silencing charms in the room, but they aren't the greatest since I want to hear if he yells for me. So it's important to be quiet when you're in the house or near it."

Kim felt dread as she waited for everyone coming through the floo, wondering if they were going to talk about last week. Part of her didn't even want them to come because that part of her (which she often wondered if it was evil) thought she didn't deserve to have fun when Cho was dead, and it was all her fault. Why should she be happy when Cho would never be able to smile on this earth again? Was there an afterlife? Kim hoped there was, so at least Cho was alive _somewhere_.

"Kim?" Her head snapped over in surprise that everyone was standing in the living room. From the look Sirius was giving them, she figured that they must have not been all that quiet either. She felt her cheeks heat up at the questioning look Draco gave her. He wasn't used to seeing her this upset, at least, not as much as everyone else was. She walked over to him slowly, and once she reached him they stared at each other as if this reunion was after a year instead of a week. After a moment, Kim put her arms around Draco, burying her face in his chest until Sirius cleared his throat.

"It's rather nice out today," he said in poorly concealed displeasure. "Remus is resting and probably won't be awake until dinner. You all wouldn't be here if he hadn't insisted."

They quickly dispersed outside, after Sirius made them swear to stay within the wards. He felt no remorse telling them Moony was sleeping, even though Remus would tell him he was being too protective, but he knew all those kids would just crowd Remus and make him feel uncomfortable. Of course, Sirius never saw himself as a disturbance and trotted over to where he knew Remus was have a lunch of pain and antibiotic potions.

Remus shook his head at the kids outside. "Just because I feel like crap, doesn't mean you have to kick them out, Sirius." He grinned at where they were huddled together. "You're just making it easier for their plans to prank you."

Sirius looked out the window to see Kim break free from the circle and start jumping around for joy. "They won't be able to pull anything off." Draco dragged her back to the circle, causing Sirius to frown when he stole a kiss. "I'm guessing she's feeling better."  
Remus yawned and sipped some potion. "Sometimes. She asked for a puppy yesterday." Sirius perked up, but Remus shot him down. "No."

"Why?" he whined.

"Because they chew everything, eat everything, and go to the bathroom everywhere," Remus said drily.

Sirius plopped down on the bed next to him with a dramatic sigh. "But they just need to be trained!"

"Which is something we don't have time for."

Sirius groaned. "Fine." Then he sat up and narrowed his eyes at Remus. "Did you have anything to do with the letter she sent me on Wednesday?"

"Letter?" As far as Remus knew, Kim was still pretty upset Wednesday and barely spoke.

"Yeah. She made a suggestion for what and where I should get tattooed." He paused, waiting for Remus to start laughing, but he just stared blankly. "She said I should get 'Mischief Managed' tattooed right above my ass."

Remus felt himself turn scarlet. "You aren't going to do it, are you?"

"What?! No!" Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "It was just rather disturbing, and I was in the teacher's room when I read it! Minerva was right there and asked what was the matter. She took the letter before I had a chance to warn her and now she giggles a little every time she looks at me!"

Remus let out a small laugh. "It is a little funny, when you think about it."

"No, it isn't." Sirius pouted. "Although, 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' sounds like a good idea." Remus gave him an amused look. "Just not down there! Somewhere else! I'll think of something."

"She's just teasing you, Sirius. That's mostly what the two of you do, tease each other." Remus finished with another yawn.

"Whatever." Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'll let you sleep and will be waking you up for dinner."

Sirius found himself almost welcoming whatever prank they had in mind after about an hour of being alone. He read the newspaper about seven times and nearly went as far as cleaning, until he realized that Remus left him nothing to clean. Therefore, when Harry stormed into the house, Sirius ran over and hugged him. "What's up?" he said happily.

"Malfoy," Harry grumbled. "I just can't stand the git."

"I think there are few people on earth that can." Sirius grinned.

"Yeah, well we got in an argument, and he threw something at me." Harry walked over to the kitchen, and Sirius felt the blood drain out of his face. "Do you think we have anything? It stings a bit." Harry turned around quickly.

Sirius opened and closed his mouth several times. "Don't-don't move." He pointed at Harry with a shaking finger. "You've got a, a…" Harry blinked at him, trying not to laugh at Sirius's expression of the half of a fake knife that was glued to the upper back of his shirt. They painted red paint that went down the back to look like blood.

"Actually, I think whatever he threw was a little sharp…" Harry pretended to reach for the 'knife'.

"NO! Don't move. Just—" Sirius couldn't get another word out because he fainted and fell to the floor.

Kim burst into the room thirty seconds later. "We tricked you! We tricked you!" She stopped when she saw him on the floor and whispered, "He didn't have a heart attack, did he? Remus will be so mad if he had a heart attack."

Harry shook his head as everyone else filed into the house. "He just fainted."

Ginny poked him with her foot. "Should we move him somewhere?"

Harry was just about to reply when they heard Remus say sleepily, "What did you do to him?" He was leaning against the door frame but didn't look as bad as he does the day before the full moon.

Nobody answered until Hermione was brave enough to mumble, "He thinks Harry got stabbed in the back." Harry turned around slowly to reveal their artwork.

"I'm surprised he fell for it, considering we saw you all huddled together outside." Remus flicked his wand and levitated Sirius onto the couch. "It will be funny to see his face when he wakes up though. However, for future references, I think it's best to stick to dung bombs."

"He sent me a letter saying I should be a nun!" Kim explained.

"Yes, and he told me what you wrote in response." Remus grinned as Sirius started to stir.

"Wha-What?" Sirius rubbed his eyes. "Is it already dinner time? I had the worst dream!"

"Really?" Kim asked innocently. "What happened?"

"Malfoy!" He pointed an accusatory finger at the boy. "Threw a knife at Harry's back." He sat up a rubbed the back of his head. "It was so real."

"Well, Malfoy is a git." Ron grinned at Draco's glare.

Sirius's eyes popped out of his head, and he jumped of the couch. "It was real!" He practically ran over to Harry and spun him around. "Why do you spell like paint?" Everyone started laughing. "And Remus! What are you doing out of bed?"

"Sirius is the mommy! Sirius is the mommy!" Kim started running around the living room, dragging Draco by the arm and chanting, "Sirius is the mommy!"

"Am not!" Sirius said indignantly. "This is the worst prank ever! Even worse than the one where you said you were pregnant!"

Kim stopped in her tracks. "That was an accident!" She frowned at Draco's confused face. "I am not!"

"How do you accidently say that?" Draco was glad he wasn't there when she said it.

"Because Fred and George are buttheads!" Kim smiled at the memory. "But Sirius is still the mommy. He worries like one, gets all in a huff like one, and gets all crazy like one." Kim saying crazy was code for protective. "He's like a hen!"

"I am the epitome of masculinity," Sirius said defensively.

"But you were a cheerleader for Harry last year!"

"So?"

"It's a sport mostly for girls!"

"Yes, and I made it manly."

Everyone (except Remus who reluctantly went back to sleep) set to work on dinner after that. Since there were so many people, things went slower rather than faster. Kim kept putting flour on Ron's face, which irritated Ron to no end but somehow made Draco jealous. Giggling Kim chased him with a ketchup bottle, saying that she was going to make him have red hair like a Weasley. Finally, Sirius gave up and went through the floo to pick up a couple of pizzas and some ice cream. "We're alone guys! We have to do something bad!" Kim whispered.

"Remus is in the other room." Harry had enough pranking for one day.

Kim pursed her lips. "I want to put highlights in your hair."

"No," Harry said instantly.

She turned to Draco. "I want to dye your hair black."

"No."

"Ugh! I want…I want…to bleach my hair!"

Ginny grimaced. "You're too pale! You'd look like a ghost with dark eyes. Why do we have to focus on hair? And since when is changing hair color bad?"

"Does anyone want their ears pierced? I wished we could leave the house! I want to get my bellybutton pierced!"

"How about we do nothing?" Ron asked. "I mean, I just want some pizza. Why do we have to impale ourselves?"

Kim ignored them and ran into her room. She came out with the gun that Muggles used to pierce ears. Harry pointed at it. "Again, where do you get this stuff?"

"I always get whatever I want! Do you think this will work on my tongue?" Without saying a word, Draco walked over and pried it from her hands. "Hey!" Annoyed, Kim stomped into the bathroom and didn't come out until Sirius returned.

Sirius wobbled slightly with five pizza boxes and a tub of ice cream. Ron and Harry helped him carry them to the table. "Where's the squirt? And why does Malfoy have a…whatever that is?"

"Potter says that it shoots piercings! She wanted to put this in her tongue!" Sirius flinched at Malfoy's words.

"Gross. So where is she?"

Ron grinned and said loudly so Kim would hear him, "She's pooping."

"Am not!" Kim skipped out of the bathroom with a big smile on her face. "Aren't I pretty?"

Ginny covered her mouth with her hands while Hermione said slowly, "Oh my God." Sirius gaped at her.

"What? I love it." Kim dyed the right side of her hair black and left the other side her normal dark red.

Harry let out a small laugh. "You had a breakdown when you hair was cut this summer, but this is the second time you've changed it in four months."

Kim walked over to Draco and put her face centimeters from his. Eyes wide, she asked, "Do you like it?" There was a dangerous undertone to her words.

"It is rather interesting…" Draco studied her while Ginny rolled her eyes. He'd be dead meat if he said he didn't like it. "I think it suits your personality…split personality." Kim smacked on the shoulder but was satisfied and ran over to get some pizza.

Remus felt better enough to come out to dinner and looked at Kim's hair with wide eyes but decided not to comment. He did, however, almost choke on his pizza when she asked, "Can Draco sleep over?" Draco turned pink and tried to move himself as far away from Remus and Sirius as possible. Sirius got up and walked into the bathroom. "Where are you going?"

He returned in a matter of seconds. "I was just wondering if you guys wrote 'stupid' on my head while I was unconscious."

Kim pouted. "All you had to say was no."

"No."

"Well, shoot." Kim looked at everyone in the room. "But Ginny's sleeping over! And Ron and Hermione are practically married, but they're both sleeping over!" Poor Ron did start choking until Harry patted him on the back.

"It's fine," Draco said nervously. There was no way he could sleep in a room with Potter and Weasley while he knew without a doubt that Black would be guarding the door.

"Will you come tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"If I'm allowed."

"In your PJs?"

Draco bit the inside of his cheek. Malfoys were always properly dressed. "That's ridiculous."

"But you have to pretend that you slept over!" She scowled at Sirius and Remus. "Since they think we're jack rabbits who can't control ourselves."

Trying not to feel guilty, Remus said, "Severus mentioned what happened during to Yule Ball." Draco winced while Kim merely shrugged. "I'm hoping that stuff like that doesn't happen on a regular basis."

"How could it? I'm always with you." Harry and Ginny were laughing to themselves about how red Draco was turning and how Kim was talking like she had not a care in the world. Ron and Hermione were trying to look at each other after Kim said they were practically married. Sirius was chewing his food angrily.

"Well, I'm hoping that you will be able to go back to school in a week or so. Bill said three weeks at most. Professor McGonagall forbids anyone from being outside their common rooms alone at night." Kim looked at him as if he just slapped her. "It won't be too bad. Don't you miss being in class with your friends?"

Kim fiddled with her napkin. "Can we talk about it next week?" she asked quietly.

Remus stared at her worriedly for a moment. "Sure."

* * *

Later that night, Remus couldn't believe how tired he was, considering he slept most of the day. Sirius, however, was wide awake, still annoyed that Kim wanted Draco to sleep over. Remus wished he had let the boy, but he had a feeling that if Kim had the opportunity that she would want to have sex with Draco. They were too young for that. Still, he should have treated Harry the same way and not let Ginny sleep over. Oblivious to Remus's guilty feelings, Sirius asked, "Was she more hyper than usual today?"

"I think she misses her friends and hasn't felt too happy these past couple days. She was just excited." That was another thing. Remus felt like he was isolating her from everyone, but after what happened to Cho, he wasn't willing to take any chances until the Imperius Curse was completely out of her system.

* * *

Narcissa was sipping some tea with a good book in bed when Lucius stomped into the room. She smiled nervously into her cup, knowing what this was about. "Narcissa! How could you let Draco go over that house all weekend?"

"Because I like her." She turned the page of her book, wondering if Lucius could ever be as brave as the man in the story.

"There's a war coming," Lucius fumed. He lifted up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. "It's getting darker and painful sometimes."

Narcissa shut her book. "My son should not have to make sacrifices for your decisions. For Abraxas's decisions!"

"So what? He's going to live with a werewolf and a blood traitor when the Dark Lord returns." Lucius felt on edge. Severus didn't know how lucky he was. His Dark Mark was blasted off. He didn't have to face the constant anxiety that was festering on Lucius's arm.

"He's going to live with his mother…" Narcissa bit her lip. "And hopefully his father. I'm tired to this, Lucius. How can we be a family with the Dark Lord between us?"

"I don't like this. How can he throw his entire life away for a halfblood?"

"You mean, how can he throw away a life of fear and servitude for a chance to be happy?" Narcissa snapped. "While I would prefer for Draco to be with someone like Daphne Greengrass or even a nice Ravenclaw pureblood that clearly is not going to happen. And I'm not going to waste my time being angry over it. She may be a halfblood, but she's sweet, and Draco loves her."

"Oh, well that's great, Cissy. Now you've stooped to Andromeda's level." Lucius gulped as soon as he said it, remembering what state Andy was in now and realizing that that was a low blow.

Narcissa stood up. "Maybe I will be with my son and go _that _house as you put it." She slipped some shoes on and started to walk out of the room. "By the way, I am on the light side now, meaning you are either with me or against me."

Lucius stood frozen in his spot as the door slammed behind him. Narcissa switched sides, without asking him? This made absolutely no sense. Cissy rarely fought with him and now she left the house. When would she be back? It wasn't even five minutes later and Lucius already felt lonely. He sat on the bed and put his face in his hands. He couldn't lose his family over this. He just couldn't. However, he couldn't get over his fear against the Dark Lord and was without the courage to be against him. _You are either with me or against me._ Those words shook him to the core.

* * *

Calvin grinned to himself as he lit the last of the candles in the History classroom at the Auror Academy. He walked around the room, making sure there wasn't anything like rats lurking about. He pushed six desks together to make a nice sized table and covered it with a blood red table cloth. He set up plates and a dinner of Dora's favorite (chicken parmesan) just as the object of his affection came stumbling in. "Professor, I swear I handed in—" Her expression soured at the sight of him. "So more lies?"

"Well technically, I didn't lie. I got a professor to do it for me." He shrugged, pretending not to be nervous.

"Kingsley told me that you were afraid." Dora refused to walk over to him. "Were you afraid I would tell your father?"

"I was afraid that you wouldn't like me because I'm a pureblood. I know you're more liberal than I am." What Calvin didn't say was that Dora would be surprised at what she could give away while being tortured. There were a number of times that Calvin tattled on his siblings because of even the threat of going down to the dungeon.

"So now I'm supposed to forgive you, fall head over heels for you, and pretend like nothing ever happened." Dora looked disgusted with the thought.

"While that would be nice…" Calvin chuckled at Dora's offended look. "I want you to understand that I wasn't doing it to hurt you. I was doing it to protect myself."

Dora lifted her chin up. "Is that why you never kissed me?"

Calvin looked around the room as if to ask, _Is this a joke?_ "I never kissed you because I was waiting for you to ask."

"That is so unromantic. What am I supposed to say? Oh, Kevin! Kiss me please!" Dora wrinkled her nose.

"You mean Calvin." Calvin walked across the room so he was next to Dora. "Very well, I won't ask anymore."

"Wha—?" Calvin silenced her with a kiss.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Kim's hair will wash away in six weeks, for those of you who hate it. She's just got a little cabin fever. Is that an American term? It means going crazy from being cooped up in the house if it is. Cedric will still be in the third task by the way. Please review!**


	23. Catching the Bad Guy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: After a review from ****usuihentai727**** I posted a one-shot for any SBRL fans out there of when they got together in 7****th**** year, if any of you all want to check that out. After said review, I also realized I should add more moments of them together, which I will and made sure to added one in this chapter. However, the next chapter will be a little busy. You'll see why in the last scene.**

Chapter 23

After quick chat with Dumbledore, Narcissa decided that she was going to pay a visit to her dearest cousin Sirius. Albus agreed to let her through the floo. It was a good thing she thought ahead and snagged Draco's baby album before departing from the manor. She smiled at the smell of pancakes and sausage in the morning and felt her grin grow even wider at everyone's arguing. "Ron! How are we going to make chocolate chip pancakes if you eat all the chocolate chips?"

"It's not my fault you insist on making them shaped like dinosaurs. I'm hungry." Ron held the bag of chocolate chips high in the air so Kim couldn't reach them. She still tried to jump up, making him smirk. However, he was outwitted by his sister, who hopped onto a chair and snatched the bag out of his hands. "Oi! What happened to blood loyalty?!"

"You threatened my chances at getting chocolate chip pancakes, Ron." Ginny shook her head in disgust. "I had no choice but to betray you."

Sirius opened his bedroom door and stumbled into the kitchen. "We can hear you guys through the silencing charms. Why are you up so early?" he grumbled.

"Because we never went to sleep!"

Hermione crossed her arms. "How are we ever going to be on a good schedule for school tomorrow?"

Harry was the first to notice Narcissa. "Mrs. Malfoy?" She grinned at Sirius's startled expression.

"Is Draco here?" She wasn't going to show his baby pictures unless her son was around to get embarrassed.

"Nope! I sent him a letter to show up in his PJs the moment he wakes up, so he better be here soon because I told him to go to bed early because his other friends are boring, and we're better!" Kim said this as she mixed pancake batter. Ginny walked over and dumped the whole bag of chocolate chips in. Kim gasped and started mixing furiously. Hermione rolled her eyes and flipped the pancakes that were cooking.

"Nice hair," Narcissa commented, purposefully ignoring Sirius.

"It washes out in six weeks." Kim pursed her lips. "No one likes it!"

"I love it. I remember in my fifth year, I dyed my hair blue to try to scare off Lucius." Narcissa bit her lip to stop from giggling. Her parents kept trying to push Lucius on her since she had scared every respectable guy off before him. Lucius followed her around like a lost puppy while Narcissa, quite frankly, thought he was a nerd. And a pompous nerd too, the worst kind in her opinion.

Kim raised her eyebrows. "It didn't work."

Narcissa smiled sadly. "Which is one of the reasons why I love him so much."

"Why are you here, Narcissa?" Sirius was getting irritated. Two Malfoys in one day!

Narcissa shrugged. "I was hoping to embarrass my son. I guess I'll have to wait until he rolls out of bed."

* * *

Draco came by an hour later to find his mother and girlfriend flipping pancakes together while everyone else ate. They were giggling (not a good sign) and tossing pancakes onto everyone's plate. There were a few scattered on the floor, which Draco could tell was bugging the hell out of Remus. Ron snickered at the sight of him and said with his mouth full, "Malfoy wears silk pajamas!"

Before Draco could get into trouble by commenting on the state of Ron's patched and frayed nightwear, Kim flipped a pancake into Sirius's face and ran over to him. "You wore 'em! You wore 'em!" She stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the nose. Sirius peeled the pancake off his face and made gagging noises. "Now you gotta eat so we can see the pictures!"

"Pictures?" Draco threw his mother a suspicious glance.

"You have to eat too," Remus said to Kim at the same time.

Kim rolled her eyes and handed Draco a plate. He frowned at the blobs. "T-Rex! Stegosaurs!"

"They have to be in perfect circles." Draco's mouth twitched at the appalled look on her face.

"Conformist!" She gave him a death glare. "Eat them or face the consequences!"

"Which are?"

"Ron and Sirius will devour them! And then you'll be hungry until lunch, but Remus bought dinosaur nuggets and dinosaur shape pineapples so you'll have to wait until dinner, which is when I plan to put all my spinach on your plate so all you eat all day is spinach, spinach, and steak!" Kim frowned and turned to Remus. "Steak's made of cows. I don't like it anymore."

Remus got up to put his plate in the sink. "That means no meatballs too."

"Well shoot! I'm going to have to think about this…" She poked Draco in the chest. "Eat it!" Grinning, Draco finally took a bite, forgetting to ask about the pictures.

Once he was finished, Narcissa grinned and said, "You're lucky I didn't think of this before because the whole school would know what you look like as a baby."

Draco finished his pumpkin juice. "What?" And then he saw the light blue book she was clutching. "Mum! You-You can't!"

"I can." Narcissa strode over to the couch and sat down with Kim. Hermione and Ginny followed while the boys rolled their eyes and reluctantly joined them. "Haven't I told you, darling, that when you are going to assault someone, you better not get caught?" Kim was bouncing in her seat in anticipation.  
"I'll remember that next time we're alone, Mother." Narcissa snorted and opened the book.

Kim leaned over for a closer look. "Picture one: Draco Malfoy is crying and looks like an old man. Picture two: Draco Malfoy is being held by an old man. The similarities are incredible!"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "You were a fat baby."

"And you were an old man baby."

"Abraxas was so annoyingly smug the day Draco was born," Narcissa went on as if they never said anything. "He wanted a boy, and I wanted a girl. As usual, Lucius remained neutral." Sirius bit his lip, remembering all the times Lucius announced that Narcissa was expecting at family dinners and how he was so happy when Draco survived that he put it in the paper.

"You should have hit him!" Draco smiled. His grandfather would have hated Kim. Too outspoken, the old man would have said.

"I knocked his teeth out a week before Draco was born. It was hot out, and the old man kept whining that Draco had better be a boy. I didn't even bother to get up. I just flicked my wand, and the bastard lost his front teeth." She grinned evilly. "He had them magically replaced, of course, but he didn't say a word about it again until the healer announced that it was a boy."

"But you and Grandpa always got along!"

"We had our moments," Narcissa said cryptically.

They looked for the most of the book in about an hour, Kim narrating each picture. "Picture 53: Draco Malfoy is using the potty for the first time…Picture 103: Draco Malfoy has his first play date with Pansy Parkinson." Half way through, the boys and Ginny (without a tortured Draco) left for Quidditch.

Draco was ready to rip his hair out by picture 473. "MUM! Why is this in my baby book? I'm eleven and heading to Hogwarts in this one."

Narcissa pinched his cheek. "Because you will always be my baby!" She snickered. "I've had it magically expanded as the years go by."

"You should publish it! _The Chronicles of Draco Malfoy_!" Kim was sitting on Draco's lap now that Sirius and Remus were outside. She turned to face him_. _"I would buy them."

"I'm sure you would. Creep." Draco was just glad that Weasley left before the potty trained pictures.

"I find it interesting that the wizarding world uses cloth diapers." Hermione frowned at the thought. "It seems rather…outdated."

Narcissa gave Hermione a perplexed look. "What else is there, Sweetheart?"

"Disposable?" Hermione could see that Narcissa had no idea what she was talking about. "Muggles, at least in first world countries, throw diapers away every time the baby goes to the bathroom."

"Well, that seems rather wasteful. I thought Muggles had machines that washed everything."

"Robots!" Kim chimed in.

Hermione looked disguised. "Yeah, but…All that poop mixing in with washing machine. And then we have to put our clothes in it." She shuddered at the thought.

Kim looked at the baby book. "Draco did poop a lot."

"I'm sure you pooped even more since you ate so much!" Draco snapped defensively. Just then Harry walked in to get a glass of water. He stared at Draco as if he had three heads, got his water, gulped it down, and quickly scrambled out. Draco felt his cheeks burn as the girls started giggling. Kim laughed so hard that she started crying and fell to the floor.

Kim emerged from the floor and asked, "Do you want me to defend your honor?"

"No. I want the contents of this awful book to never be discussed. Ever again."

Kim was too tired to feel sad about everyone leaving that night and for the first time since she learned what happened, didn't have nightmares about Cho's death. Narcissa stayed all day until Professor Dumbledore came after dinner to tell her that Lucius was near tears in his office. Draco gave her a questioning look, but Narcissa laughed quietly to herself and followed Dumbledore through the floo.

* * *

Narcissa did her best to walk into Dumbledore's office with her head held high and not run into Lucius's arms. She could tell he was doing the same, choosing to look out the window upon her entrance. Narcissa sat down and accepted tea from Dumbledore, waiting patiently for Lucius to swallow his pride. Dumbledore smiled and left to give him some privacy. Narcissa considered telling him that he might as well wait for hell to freeze over but decided that Lucius would eventually have to say something. Finally, after ten minutes, Lucius cleared his throat and strode over to her. Narcissa rolled her eyes. "I take that our son is well." She nodded. "Well then, I suppose it would be best if you returned home."

"So you think you're going to get off that easily?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow. Lucius knew better than that.

"What do you want me to say, Narcissa? That I am going to throw away all my beliefs for my son's teenage romance. And don't tell me it's more than that," he snapped. "We would be preparing for the return of the Dark Lord if it wasn't for her."

"And then what?" Narcissa retorted. "You get tortured for your lack of loyalty. I worry that you'll die or get thrown in Azkaban. Your son has to spend the remainder of his childhood hardly ever seeing his father because he's out killing and torturing people!" Lucius remained silent. "It would be so much better this way," she whispered.

"You can't expect me to just change at the drop of a hat." But Lucius felt his anger start to ebb away.

"I don't. I expect you to be more open to change." Narcissa looked searchingly into Lucius's eyes. "I love you, Lucius. I don't want to lose you to this."

"I love you too…I'm sorry, Cissy…This is just…hard to wrap my head around…But I will try." Narcissa smiled sadly and got up to kiss him.

* * *

Harry looked between Ginny and Ron nervously. "Well?" Ron asked. "Which is best? Melvin," he said with disgust. "Or Victoria?"

"Er…" Ginny was giving him the I'm your girlfriend look while Ron was giving him the I'm your best mate look. "I have to _know_ which one is the best." Harry knew that the owls would have to pass some type of test so he wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings. "How about I go to Hagrid's, and you both have them send me a letter from the Astronomy Tower. Whichever one gets to me first is the winner." Harry looked up at the sky. _Please let this work!_

Harry and Hagrid waited…and waited…and waited, but after two hours, there was no sign of Melvin or Victoria. Eventually, Ginny and Ron showed up with worried looks on their faces. "How could we let them go by themselves?"

Ginny ran her hands through her hair. "They're just babies!"

"We're terrible parents!" Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes at that last one.

"Perhaps they didn' know what to do?" Hagrid wondered. "Did you ever teach 'em how to deliver things?" The horrified looks that Ginny and Ron shared told all. Hagrid chuckled. "They probably flew around until they got bored."

"But where would they go?" Ron asked

Harry grinned. "Think Ron. Where do owls go when they have nothing to deliver?" Ron and Ginny just stared. "The owlery? Ring any bells? They might have heard the other owls when they were flying around."

Ginny smacked her forehead. "We're idiots."

"You two got so worked up to find out which was the better owl that you didn't even teach them how to deliver messages." Ginny smacked Harry on the shoulder. "Oi! What was that for?"

"You aren't supposed to agree with us!"

When they reached the owl post, Harry couldn't help but be reminded to the time Aunt Petunia lost Dudley for a good five minutes at the supermarket. Ron and Ginny ran up to the Owlery like the place could collapse any minute and emerged with perfectly safe and healthy baby owls. Ron swore never to let Victoria out of his sight again while Ginny promised Melvin as much owl treats as he could eat when they got up to Gryffindor Tower. She showered Melvin with kisses, and Harry could have sworn Ron had tears in his eyes. "Are you guys serious? They're owls. They're going to fly around." Hagrid nodded in agreement.

Ron looked mortified. "But they're just babies!" Harry decided that it was best to not reply. One day those two would learn that Melvin and Victoria are in fact owls and not human babies.

* * *

Remus felt that he was treading on dangerous water when he entered Kim's room the next week. Still, she couldn't trap herself in the cottage forever. She could be found writing a very long letter that to his surprise started off _Dear Professor Snape_… She looked up and smiled. "Professor Snape thinks I'm cheating on all my tests since I'm here and not at school! I told him that if I was going to cheat that he should at least give me a perfect score before accusing me!" Remus tried not to smile, knowing that one day she would cause poor Severus to have a stroke. A Sirius-like voice in his head angrily snarled that Snape deserved it for being so nasty to everyone. He tried his best to ignore it.

"I talked to Bill today." Remus sighed as she tensed up. "You have to go back sometime, you know. Sirius and I will still be around, looking for Crouch."

"Can't I go back when he's dead?" Kim looked at him hopefully.

Remus felt himself wanting to give in but remained firm. "You can't spend the rest of your days hiding. Soon you will become fearful of everything. Now it's Crouch, but I don't want you becoming afraid of your own shadow." The hope in her eyes suddenly turned to fear. "If you were forced to stay in this house, you wouldn't like it."

"What if Cho's friends yell at me or something?" That was part of what Kim dreaded the most. Would they look at her with hatred in their eyes? What about Cedric? Does he wonder why Cho died instead of her?

"Everyone grieves differently…" Remus started. He hadn't really thought of that and hoped that wasn't the case. They hadn't said anything to Harry and were more sad than angry. "You just have to remember that sadness often makes us do things we shouldn't."

Kim sat up and fiddled with her hands. "I'm not going to Defense."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because Mad-Eye looks like…was _him_…sometimes." She shook her head in frustration. "I'm afraid of him."

"I'll make you a deal." Remus hoped this was the best course of action. "Sirius and I will teach you Defense, if you take the tests in with the class and slowly try to integrate yourself back into the classroom."

Kim thought about it for a minute. "But not quizzes." Remus tried not to groan in frustration and nodded.

* * *

Early the next morning, Remus was bringing back his clothes into his and Sirius's rooms while Kim was still in Dreamland. He only had one box but figured that by the time Kim made it to her first class that he would forget to get his stuff and would be too tired to bother by the end of the day. Yawning, he turned to see a dark figure moving towards him in the living room. Remus smiled to himself, shaking his head. "A candlestick, Padfoot? Why not your wand?"

Sirius flicked his wand so the room was illuminated. "Why not turn the lights on, Moony? It's 5:30, and it's still dark." He walked over and hugged Remus tightly. "I missed you, you know."

Remus smirked. "It's been what, two weeks? And you were over last weekend. And a few mornings before that."

"After almost a decade and a half, I'd rather not spend a lot of time apart." Sirius smiled sheepishly at Remus's flinch. "Sorry."

"When I look back, it was rather convenient that Peter always mentioned how much time you were spending with Marlene whenever I was home," Remus said bitterly.

"And when you finally brought it up, I lashed out because it was the week she died." Sirius hated to admit it, but that was rather clever on Peter's part.

Remus kicked at imaginary dust on the floor. "What did he say to you?"

Sirius blinked. "What?"

"I recall you not being too happy with me the months before…" Remus found himself unable to say the months before Lily and James died.

Sirius blushed. "It sounds stupid when I think about it now."

Remus laughed quietly. "I thought you were having an affair with the girl who dumped you in seventh year because she knew you…had a thing for me, I believe is how she put it."

Sirius fidgeted. "Fine. He said that you wanted to join a werewolf pack and, therefore, Voldemort because you needed to find a mate since your inner-wolf wanted cubs and only the scent of a female werewolf would fully satisfy you." Remus stared at him for several minutes before he burst laughing. "Hey! It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just…That's so awful!" He put his forehead against Sirius's. "Forgive me?"

Sirius nodded. "Only if you forgive me, for…you know."

"I let you rot in prison for twelve years. You're the one who should resent me." Remus didn't know what he would have done if Sirius hated him for that, since there was nothing he could do to make up for it.

"If I had trusted you enough to tell you that I had switched secret keepers, then maybe you could have believed that it wasn't me." Sirius smiled. "So I guess we'd better call it even."

Remus returned the smile. "Agreed." Then he leaned in to kiss him just as the sun was coming up. Luckily, there was no Snape to interrupt this time…or anything else awful happening, and they were able to slip quietly into their rooms.

* * *

On her first morning back, Kim found herself practically clinging to Remus and frowning at the wall on the fifth floor. She walked over and touched it as if the door would appear. "It was right here, I swear."

"Are you sure that curse didn't addle your brain, lassie?" Kim hid her hands behind her back to conceal the fact that they were shaking as Mad-Eye clonked over. She ran over to Remus and Sirius to hide behind them. "So that's why Minerva told me not to come." He rubbed his hand on the stubble on his scarred face. "I want the bastard caught as much as you but perhaps you are mistaken."

"Actually Alastor," Dumbledore cut in. "I think she was correct at the time. Has anyone ever heard of the Room of Requirement?" Albus quickly explained the basics of the room.

"But why did we never find it?" Sirius knew that if this was a different situation he would have been put out that the Marauders were never able to add it to the map.

"Maybe you never needed it," Albus said simply. "However, I am curious as to why it was not on the seventh floor, where I assumed was its permanent residence."

"Perhaps because the current occupant requires a place to be hidden? I suppose we wouldn't be able to find it now unless Crouch wasn't using it," Remus wondered. He could tell Kim wanted to leave and wondered if she would be willing to go to breakfast by herself.

Albus gave him a ghost of a smile. "Crouch will have to leave in search of food. That is one thing the room cannot provide."

* * *

Kim had to say that she missed Potions class. It was hard to bicker with Professor Snape through letters, and she could tell that he was happy to see her (even if no one else could see it). Even better was that everyone stuck with their groups after Cecily left. She grinned. "Best group of three ever!" From the looks Harry and Draco were giving each other, it was clear that they didn't agree. "Who was the group of three before?"

"Last year it was Daphne, Vince, and Gregg." Kim grimaced. "And this year it was Pansy, Blaise, and me."

Kim and Snape nitpicked at each other so much that class that Snape even forgot to bully Neville. Snape continued to insist that she was cheating and made her test the potion for the day on Harry (which temporarily changed his appearance so he had darker skin and brown hair). Kim refused until Professor Snape agreed to take it with Harry. She still earned herself a double detention, which reminded her professor that she had already had detention for the year. Harry smiled to himself and picked up the goblet of sweet smelling liquid. Grumbling, Snape begrudgingly did the same. It tasted surprisingly bitter, but Harry was glad he didn't really feel himself changing like he did with Polyjuice. Glamour potions weren't that bad.  
However, Kim scarred him for life when she yelled, "You guys look like father and son!" She started clapping at her handy work.

Professor Snape looked at Harry and then looked at a grungy looking mirror in the corner of the room. Frowning, he said, "Twenty points from Gryffindor." Ron started banging his head on the table. "Spill your potion, Weasley, and it will be thirty."

* * *

Kim felt her first day back was going rather well. Sirius was with Remus trying to find the Room of Requirement, so she was able to hold Draco's hand and be with adult supervision for the first time in FOREVER. Professor Snape finally had a tan and his hair didn't look as greasy no that it was brown (thanks to her). And there wasn't a written test in DADA for two weeks. So yep, everything was going great. That is, until on her way to lunch she saw Marietta Edgecombe, Cho's best friend.

Marietta walked over, and they simply stared at each other. She took a step closer, and Kim flinched, mentally preparing herself to be slapped. What she wasn't mentally prepared for was the hug she received from Cho's best friend. Kim froze, shaking slightly when Marietta whispered tearfully, "We miss her so much. We want you to know that you shouldn't be afraid, because if any of us see you with this guy again…We won't hesitate to…" She couldn't finish and started sobbing.

Draco gently pried a shell-shocked Kim out of Marietta's embrace. "Thanks, but I think it's best we go." He grabbed Kim by the shoulders and steered her toward the kitchens.

Outside the kitchens, Kim stared at Draco blankly. "Wh-Why?" She blinked back tears.

"Maybe she knew you felt guilty." Draco honestly didn't know why. If it was the other way around, he hated to admit that he wouldn't be too happy with Cho. He felt awful of thinking about it, of course, and felt even worse when he thought to himself that he was glad it was Cho who died and not Kim. He knew enough to keep this to himself though.

"_Feel_ guilty," Kim mumbled while Draco sighed. "I'd rather them hate me because I feel worse that they _aren't_ mad at me."

"Why should they be?" Draco demanded. "I'm glad you're okay. Is that so wrong?" She remained silent. "There's nothing you can do about it, so stop dwelling on it. You'll drive yourself nuts with all the 'what ifs.'"

"You're such a jerk."

Draco grinned. "It's a big part of my character. You wouldn't love me as much otherwise."

Kim raised her eyebrows. "I'm not so sure about that."

Draco laughed softly and tickled with pear. "Ladies first."

Still having time after lunch, Kim dragged Draco over to Sirius's and Remus's rooms, only to find Sirius pacing while Harry and Remus looked like they were getting annoyed by him. His eyes flared at the sight of them. "Where were you?"

Kim frowned. "In the kitchens."

"Told you," Harry and Remus said at the same time.

Sirius shot them both a glare. "You could have said something! We thought you were kidnapped…_again_!" Remus made a face that said that Sirius was the only one who was worried.

Kim put her hands on her hips. "If you want me to tell you this stuff, then you have to tell me that you want to know because I don't know that you want to know!" She smiled a bit at her statement. "You know?" Draco wondered if this was the time to make his escape.

Instead, he decided to be brave and said, "I was with her. The guy isn't going to pop up and just waltz into the kitchens."

"The kitchens! That's the one place he would be since he can't get food from the Room of Requirement! He's got Mad-Eye's wand, and if you think you two could stand a chance…" Sirius stopped for a moment, realizing what he just said and smiled so wide that one would wonder how he wasn't hurting his face. He practically skipped over to Kim a plucked a hair out of her head.

"Ow! Hey! I thought you didn't resort to physical punishment!"

Sirius laughed, which Kim found rather creepy. "I think I know how we're going to get him." Kim frowned. Yeah, definitely creepy.

* * *

"No way! No way! No way! You can't wear my clothes!" It was later that night when Sirius told everyone about his plan.

"Do you know how badly I had to suck up to Snivellus to get the Polyjuice? It's just for an hour! Not even!" Sirius planned to head the kitchens in the dead of night in disguise as Kim in hopes that Crouch would try to steal her again.

"What about underwear?" Kim gave him her best bratty pout.

"What about it?"

"You can't were mine! It's gross, and you'll be sent back to prison!"

"Then I just won't wear any underwear."

"Ew! Ew! Ew! You want to wear my clothes without any underwear!"

Ginny yawned. It was getting late. "You can have a pair of my pajamas that I outgrew. I actually left them here from last year."

Sirius clasped his hands together. "Excellent!" Kim and Harry shared a look. "What now?"

"Can't Kingsley or Calvin or Tonks or anyone else on the planet do it?" Kim glared at him while Harry looked at the ground, hoping Sirius wouldn't be mad at him for agreeing.

But Sirius was as oblivious as Ron and said, "I'm quite capable." Remus opened his mouth to tell him that Kim and Harry were worried about him, but Sirius waved him off. "It'll be over before you know it." Harry studied his shoe laces and tried to think optimistically. Maybe Crouch wouldn't show up at all.

* * *

Sirius had to admit that he felt weird being a good ten inches shorter than he really was. It was even weirder to have boobs. He looked down in dismay and quickly snapped his head up. _James would have killed me for that. Hell, I would have killed me for that…if I weren't me._ He had drank the potion at eleven and had been waiting in the kitchens ever since. Dobby promised to get the others once Sirius got a hold of Crouch. He kicked his now tiny feet in annoyance. It was already 11:45, and all he wanted to do is kick some ass. He would do this every night at different times if he had to.

FINALLY, Sirius saw a basket of fruits and a plate with steak and potatoes floating out of the room. He looked at it, trying to will Crouch to look over. Tapping his neck with his wand to make his voice sound like Kim's, Sirius asked, "Dobby? Can I have some coffee?" The floating food stopped as Dobby bustled about to make it.

As the floating food approached it was set onto the floor, and Barty Crouch Jr. tore off his invisibility cloak. Sirius had to admit that the guy looked like a nut and flinched at his creepy smile as Crouch ran his hands through Sirius's hair. "I thought I lost you!" His expression soured. "Malfoy isn't here, is he?"

Sirius shook his head no and was about to say something cool and start beating the crap out of Crouch when the loon kissed him. Crouch drew away and cupped Sirius's face in his hands, brushing some of the black hair out of the way. Sirius could tell he was going to ask why it was dyed but didn't give him the chance. Sirius gripped Crouch's hand so hard that some of the bones cracked. He chuckled at the mixture of surprise and fear on Crouch's face. "Not so tough now, are you? You little bitch."

* * *

Remus and Kingsley were outside of the kitchens when the screaming started. The pair shared a look. "We should go in," Kingsley stated.

Remus lowered his wand. "Wait a minute."

"I could lose my job for this."

"You won't."

"How do you know?" But Kingsley was lowering his wand as well.

"Because he's a monster."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	24. Death at Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Happy Birthday to me! And so a present to you is chapter 24 early. In this chapter things got a little crazy! :0**

Chapter 24

By the time Remus and Kingsley finally ran into the kitchens, Sirius kicking Crouch in the ribs. Crouch seemed to have been bombarded with multiple hexes, considering that he was covering in bright purple sores and his skin was an angry red color as if he had a terrible case of sunburn. He was pleading for Sirius to stop, and Remus was surprised that Sirius hadn't ripped Gin's old pajamas, since they were skin tight on him now that he was in his own form. Remus put his hand on Sirius's shoulder. "That's enough."

Sirius jumped at his touch and turned around, breathing heavy. "But—"

"If you kill him, then we wouldn't be able to find out Voldemort's plans with Harry." Remus relaxed slightly when Sirius yelled out in frustration and stalked away. Before he could change his mind, Kingsley conjured a stretcher. Crouch quickly passed out, but Remus could just make out his ragged, shallow breathing.

Remus and Kingsley walked to the Hospital Wing in silence, where Dumbledore, aurors, and other Ministry members would be waiting for them. Sirius was supposed to stun Crouch, and Remus could only hope the man didn't have any internal bleeding. The sooner they questioned him the better.

* * *

Sirius slammed the door behind him. It had been a while since he had been this angry. The last time he had wanted to kill someone was when he attacked Dursley. And like last time, Moony was there to stop him. He jumped again when he heard, "So what happened? Did it work? You look gross!"

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Sirius suddenly felt very tired.

"I never sleep! Plus, how could I sleep when I knew what was going on?" She lowered her voice. "Harry's awake to, but he didn't want you to know."

Sirius yawned. "Why?"

"Because he thinks you'll be mad at him for worrying about you because you got mad when we asked if someone else could do it because you thought we thought you couldn't do it, but we just didn't want you to get hurt, but you wouldn't listen, and now Harry doesn't want you to get mad at him, and it's all your fault!" she said so quickly that Sirius had trouble keeping up.

He stretched and blushed when he heard the sound of Ginny's old pajamas ripping. Kim wrinkled her nose. "Next time that happens, hit me in the back of the head so I'll listen." Kim grinned excitedly. "But not too hard." She pouted.

Kicking her feet in annoyance, Kim commanded, "Well, tell me what happened so I can report back to Gryffindor Tower!" Smiling slightly, Sirius told her what happened. She bit her lip. "So he won't be at school anymore?" Sirius shook his head while she breathed out the smallest sigh of relief. "Good. Well, I best be off."

She hopped off the couch while Sirius turned around to get into normal clothes and head off to bed. He stopped, however, he heard a creaking noise. Wand drawn and turning around slowly, Sirius gaped to see Malfoy coming out of the cabinet. Kim and the boy froze. "What the hell?"

Kim smiled nervously like a little kid who got caught stealing cookies before dinner. "Well, you couldn't expect me to come here alone, could you? What with Crouch loose and all…" Her voice trailed off.

Sirius frowned at Malfoy's tousled hair and guilty expression. "Then why'd he have to hide?"

"Umm…" Kim and Malfoy shared a look, never a good sign in Sirius's opinion. He also noticed that Malfoy's shirt was off by a few buttons.

"I think I'll give you a five second head start to run back to the dungeons, Malfoy. I suggest you take it, since I'm already in a murderous mood." Sirius grinned in satisfaction as Malfoy squeaked and ran out the door.

"Hey! That wasn't nice!"

"That five seconds is for you too."

"Rodger that!" She was out the door in a flash.

* * *

Harry found himself pacing until Kim returned. She came in running as if someone was chasing her in a game of tag and giggled as the portrait swung shut behind her. Harry ran his hands through his hair. "Well?"

"Sirius was all gross in his PJs!" Kim smiled. "He started chasing me as Padfoot all over the castle!"

"But he's okay, right?" Harry knew he should assume so if Sirius was chasing Kim about the castle, but he needed to make sure.

"Yep! And he said I get to hit him in the head if he gets all insensitive again," Kim stated proudly.

Harry blushed. "You told him!"

"Yeah because you've been pacing since he drank that potion!"

Harry sighed. "I don't want him to think that I think he's weak or something."

Kim rolled her eyes. "With all the worrying he does? Remember when you sneezed at dinner after the pneumonia thing, and he wanted you to go to St. Mungo's?" Harry grimaced at the memory. "See? If anything you should get all angsty on Sirius for this double standard, flip out on him, and then make up with a heartfelt moment that'll make our viewers cry." Harry stared at her. Viewers? "Flip a table too, for dramatic effect."

"Er, that's a bit immature." And he was sure that that would make Sirius cry if he did anything of the sort, and that was something Harry knew he couldn't handle. It was awkward enough when Sirius hugged him.

"It's what I would do," Kim said seriously.

Harry shook his head mockingly at her. "Oh, I know."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Nothing." Harry was trying not to smile.

"Are you calling me immature?" Kim looked him up and down. "Because if you are…I'll meet you at the swings at three o'clock tomorrow." She put her hands on her hips. "First, I need to build some swings…"

Harry chuckled. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't fight you until there are swings _and_ a sandbox."

"Then that's a forfeit!"

"How so? You don't have the proper battle ground."

Kim ran over to tackling him, but for once, Harry was prepared for it. Instead of knocking him down when she slammed into him, Kim feel flat on her ass. "What the hell? Have you been preparing for this?"

Harry reached out to help her up. "Of course. It had been a while since you tackled me so I knew it was coming."

"Dammit! Now what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just invincible." He imitated the proud tone that Kim adopted whenever talking about herself.

"The hell you are!" Kim rubbed her tailbone. "I will get you one day, Mr. Potter. Mark my words, I will defeat you if it's the last thing I do!"

* * *

Madame Pomfrey felt odd healing someone she knew was a murderer and a Death Eater. However, his injuries were so bad that if he wasn't healed soon, he would fall into a magical coma. Once he was stable, Crouch would be moved to St. Mungo's and then to a Ministry holding cell where he would be questioned and await trail. He was magically restrained to the bed and moaned in pain every so often.

Crouch needed potions and several healing charms. Aurors were waiting around her as she mended his ribs. Sirius managed to puncture one of the man's lungs. Madame Pomfrey shook her head in annoyance. She would have to have a word with him. What if a student needed her attention, but she wouldn't have time for him or her because she was too busy healing this bastard?

Madame Pomfrey jumped back when she saw Crouch looking at her. He smiled weakly as the Aurors surrounded him. "And I was almost done…" His voice was hoarse from the pain and the fact that he was probably thirsty. Madame Pomfrey shivered as they carted him away. She supposed she'd better alert Albus. Barty Crouch Jr. was finally out of the castle.

* * *

Barty Crouch Sr. felt adrenaline pulsating through his entire body as he went to visit his son at St. Mungo's. He was being escorted by two aurors, who agreed to wait outside while he confronted his only child. Barty knew what he was doing was wrong, but like he thought before, there was no saving his son. Now that he was almost completely healed, Barty Jr. would be sent to the Ministry in a few hours. And then there would be nothing his father could do to save him from the Kiss. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow with a handkerchief his wife had sown for him when they were still dating, Barty Sr. walked, albeit a bit unsteadily, into his son's room.

Barty Jr. would have laughed crazily at the sight of his father if he wasn't in so much pain from Black's hexes. "If you think I'm going home, Father, I'm sorry to say that I have a date with a dementor."

Barty Sr. grabbed a stool and sat next to his son's bed. Barty Jr. chuckled at the sad look in his father's eyes. "I know you aren't going home, Son. I'm here…" He swallowed. "…to offer you an alternative to spending the rest of your life soulless. Your mother…" He gripped the edge of the stool, knuckles white.

Meanwhile, Barty Jr. wondered if his father had ever wanted a child. It seemed that everything his father did for him was because it was what his mother would have wanted. "Yes, Mother would have wanted me to marry Hestia Jones and spend the rest of my life raising babies and working for you, my father, the Minister," he said harshly. "However, I don't care about Mother. I only care about the Dark Lord."

His father sighed. He sounded so tired. "I know, Son. I want to offer you an alternative to the Dementor's Kiss." He reached into his pocket and produced a small vial containing a red liquid that was so dark, it was almost black. "It will all be over in less than a minute."

This time Barty Jr. did start to laugh hysterically but winced when he was finished. "You want to kill me, Dad? Now that's a low, even for you." Again, Barty Jr. wasn't sure what to think. Was his father doing this for him, his son, or was he doing it to save what was left of his reputation? Barty Jr. would never kill himself. How could he serve the Dark Lord dead? His body could be placed under the Imperius Curse to serve his master after he received the Kiss. Still, he would be more useful if he had his soul. Barty Jr. smiled, trying to make his excited grin look like a sad smile. "But I am still grateful."

Barty Sr. covered his mouth with his hand for a moment, as if he were trying not to cry out. "It's better this way, Son."

"I want to do it myself." Barty Jr. tried not to scream in frustration at the reluctant look his father was giving him. "Or would you rather pour it down my throat and kill me, Dad?" He relaxed when his father paled. "All you have to do is get rid of the magical restraints. Like you said, it will all be over in less than a minute."

His father seemed to hesitate for about thirty seconds before he stood up to release his son. He knew the guards would be coming to collect him soon, and he would have to let his son spend the rest of his life as a vegetable if he didn't act fast. With a wave of his wand, the restraints were gone. "I love you, Barty. I just want you to know that."

Sitting up, Barty looked at his father with cold eyes. "At least you had the chance to say it." With speed that could only by explained by adrenaline in his current condition, Barty Jr. grabbed his father's wand. "_Avada Kedavra!_" It was over in less than a minute.

* * *

Sirius was dragging everyone to every coat store in Hogsmeade to make sure Harry never got sick ever again. "But Sirius! It's April! It's starting to get warm out anyway." Harry felt like banging his head against the wall whenever Sirius took him shopping.

"You should where a yellow puffy coat so you can look like a puffer fish!" Kim gestured around her body as if she were wearing such a fine coat and filled her cheeks with air. Harry was torn between laughing at her and strangling her. He knew Sirius would consider buying one since those kinds of coats were warm.

"Maybe leather would be nice…" Sirius looked through the racks while Harry thought to himself, _Not again!_

Draco scowled. "Just pick something, Potter, so we can get out of here."

Harry barely restrained himself from saying that Draco can leave, and instead muttered, "Everything I pick isn't warm enough, apparently."

"How about this?" Ginny held up what looked like Ron's old dress robes, only blue.

Sirius saved Harry by shaking his head and saying, "Not warm enough."

Remus chuckled. "Sirius, you know that some of these coats come with warming charms. And don't give Harry a heat stroke by picking something that has heating charms but doesn't need them."

"I think Harry needs a matching scarf and mittens," Kim piped in loudly.

"That's it. I'm going to kill you!" Harry and Draco said at the same time. Afterwards, they both stared at each other and quickly looked away. Kim and Ginny giggled. Hermione rolled her eyes.

Finally, an hour later, Sirius held up a leather jacket with matching gloves that he found suitable. Harry wasn't really sure if they were his style but was a bit disturbed when Draco mumbled so only he could hear, "Pick the jacket or I will kill you and everyone in this room." Harry raised his eyebrows. By Sirius's standards, they weren't shopping _that _long. Still, Draco had a point.

"Alright. But I won't wear the gloves now. It's spring!" Ron sat up from where he was dozing in a pile of coats that Sirius decided weren't warm enough and started cheering.

Walking out of the shop, Kim started running around in circles. "What's next? What's next?"

"Lunch. Please," Ron groaned. "It's been more than four hours since breakfast."

Kim stopped. "The Hog's Head! Sirius peed on Draco there!"

Remus shot Sirius a bemused look while Draco looked furious at the memory. Sirius looked like he was fighting a mental battle. "Fine. I'm sorry I peed on you, Malfoy." Draco didn't look ready to accept the apology.

"He accepts! Now let's get some food before Ron dies because if Ron dies, who's going to play chess with me?!" Kim smiled when Draco's eye twitched with irritation at her speaking for him. Harry laughed quietly to himself.

"I'm going to get you back."

"How?" Kim grinned like they were about to go on an adventure.

Draco shrugged. "Something to do with poisoning the school's strawberry milk supply."

Her eyes widened. "But what if I die?"

He sighed sadly. "I guess you should have thought about that before you spoke for me."

"I must stock up then while I can!" Kim grabbed Draco's arm and yanked him into the Hog's Head.

Ginny smiled and grabbed Harry's hand. "They're going to get married," she whispered in his ear.

Harry frowned in a mixture of amusement and confusion, thinking that that was a weird thing for a thirteen year old to say. It must be a girl thing. "Don't let Sirius hear you say that," he whispered back. She snickered.

By the time they walked in, Kim had already seated herself with Draco and had ordered an entire pitch of strawberry milk. Hermione frowned at the owner. "Are you related to Dumbledore?"

Aberforth tensed and then burst out laughing. "You're the first one to say that in fifty years!" He patted Hermione on the head. "The old coot's my brother!" And then he walked over to the bar and started polishing glass mugs as if nothing happened.

Hermione gave him an odd look but assumed that to be Dumbledore's brother that you had to be a bit off. She ordered a turkey sandwich and looked at her friends, mentally preparing for her speech. Ron took one look at her and jumped out of his seat. "No. Not yet."

"Honestly Ronald. Exams are in less than three months!" She shook her head at his immaturity. "I would have said something earlier, but with everything going on…I will be making study charts for everyone on Sunday."

Kim raised her hand. Hermione shot her a no nonsense look and nodded at her. "What if we want to fail?"

"That's ridiculous!"

"But then I'll be with Ginny!"

Hermione looked at her crossly. "You wouldn't be embarrassed?"

Kim returned the look. "If I was going to be embarrassed, don't you think I would have been embarrassed about other stuff a long time ago?"

"You're going to study even if I have to play a tape of me reading the textbook while you sleep!"

Kim giggled. "Hermione, that's creepy."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her. "Too bad."

"I don't have to take them," Harry teased. Kim grabbed her fork and pretended to aim it at him.

Instead of stabbing her brother, she grinned evilly and said, "But you know, OWLs are just around the corner. It will be easier to prepare if you started studying now with the rest of us." Remus tried to hide his laughter behind his butterbeer mug. Sirius looked at Kim as if she were the embodiment of Satan.

Hermione opened her mouth to agree when the door opened, and Mary Pendragon strode over to him. She handed Sirius a paper. "Sign it." She wasn't asking. "Why can't you be at Three Broomstick's like all the normal kids? I was looking everywhere."

Kim shrugged. "Because I'm that cool."

"You're something alright," she muttered and walked away without another word.

After a few minutes of silence, Ron asked, "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "She's a drunk. It's probably some old junk mail or something…"

"They're custody papers," Sirius said quietly. Kim stared at him like she couldn't believe what he just said and then made a hissing noise and got up and left. Sirius frowned as she slammed the door. "Um…Am I missing something here?"

"She probably feels… unwanted." Harry brought his brows together in thought. "I mean, with the Dursleys, I know they hated me but with her parents, I think she got mixed signals."

Draco stood up. "I'll go find her." Sirius stood up to object but was pulled back into his seat by Remus. Unfortunately, Draco went in the opposite direction of his girlfriend.

Kim was stomped her way towards Hogwarts Gates, trying not to think about what just happened. It just felt weird, to never be able to go back to where she grew up, where she played in the mud outside with Sylvia and Sylvester while Calvin called them immature and said that they would have to take a bath the moment they stepped in the house. She could never go back to that, and even though she liked her life here, it still stung that her mother could throw her away in a matter of minutes like that.

She momentarily stopped brooding when she saw a man with horrible sunburn making his way towards her. He looked so bad from all Sirius's hexes that she didn't recognize him until he was right next to her. Kim gaped at him, making Barty smile. "So you aren't Black in drag this time?" She turned around to run but he quickly grabbed her by the arm with an angry red hand. "That's good." Kim yelled out and kicked to try to loosen his grasp. She even bit him in the arm, until he stunned her. Maybe she should have paid more attention in Defense.

"Sirius, it's only been about fifteen minutes." Remus smiled at the fact that for once, Sirius had yet to inhale the food that he ordered.

"A lot can happen in fifteen minutes, Moony."

"You honestly need to get your mind out of the gutter, Pad—" Remus frowned when Sirius tensed up and gasped when he looked up to see what had caused Sirius to start panicking.

Barty Crouch Jr. laughed crazily at their shocked expressions. "You may have ruined the Dark Lord's plans, but I will make him happy! I swear it." He had his wand at Kim's throat and had her pinned against him, but of course, she wasn't struggling. She looked straight through them. "Potter! Come with me." Harry didn't move. "Oh! How could I be so dumb? You need motivation!" He whispered something in Kim's ear.

After a moment, horror flickered in her eyes, and then they once again turned blank. "Come with us or I'll kill everyone in this room!" She reached into her pocket and pointed her wand at Sirius. "Starting with him."

"Harry—" Sirius started, but Harry had already risen from his seat. "Don't take another step Harry James Potter! I mean it!"

Barty laughed again. "Hurry up! I don't have all day. I'm sure that the bodies of my father and the aurors were found by now!" Harry shuddered and pushed his chair behind him. "That's a good boy. You don't want to add to the body count now, do you?" The room was so tense that no one noticed Draco slip quietly back to the Hog's Head.

Draco couldn't believe what he was seeing when he started heading back to the Hog's Head. Why was it that the aurors couldn't keep anyone incarcerated ever since Black escaped? The scene before him made him so anxious he couldn't breathe. He knew he had to act, since he was really the only one he could. Biting his lip so hard that he tasted blood, Draco remembered a spell that his godfather mentioned after his father got in a fist fight with Arthur Weasley. They didn't know he was listening, and the spell sounded pretty gruesome, but Draco felt like he had no choice. This bastard deserved it. Raising his wand with a shaking arm, Draco pointed right at the bastard's back and yelled, "_SECTUMSEMPRA_!" There was blood everywhere.

The first thing Kim remembered when she fully became conscious was a most awful splattering sound. She looked around confusedly at everyone's shocked and pale faces. Slowly, she turned around and covered her mouth to muffle her scream. He was so still. She took a step back and looked up to see Draco, who looked ready to vomit. Blood was pooling around her feet.

Aberforth ran over to the body and put two fingers to Crouch's neck. "By the time anyone gets here, it'll be too late. He's already fading. However, if you excuse me, I'll send Albus my Patronus." He walked swiftly into the back room.

Kim held out her hand for Draco to take and come over to the other side of the room, but her eyes were still wide with shock and horror. Feeling his whole body shake, Draco found himself backing against the wall as if her touch would burn him. She moved to take a step closer to him, but Remus grabbed her arm. He looked at a loss for words and simply shook his head. Her hand slowly fell limp at her side, but she still didn't move from her spot.

* * *

Narcissa came home from a dreadful lunch with Mrs. Parkinson to find her husband talking to Albus Dumbledore. He wasn't flustered or angry like she would expect him to be around the headmaster. Lucius looked an awful pasty color and had a look on his face that was similar to his expression when Abraxas died five years ago. Narcissa cautiously walked over to them. "Is something wrong?" Both stopped talking in hushed tones once they noticed her presence.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Lucius said a bit hysterically. "Accept for the fact that our son is a murderer because of that girl."

"She did nothing wrong, Lucius." Dumbledore actually looked his age for once. "Draco panicked."

"Will someone be so kind as to tell me what the hell is going on?" Narcissa demanded. Dumbledore quietly told them about how Barty Crouch Jr. managed to kill his father and put two aurors in critical condition in order to escape from St. Mungo's. He then told about how Kim was heading back to Hogwarts alone when Crouch found her and took her hostage in attempt to get Harry. Narcissa felt like the wind was knocked out of her when he told her what her son's part was in all of this. Why didn't Draco stun him? Once she was able to find her voice, Narcissa asked, "And where would my son learn such a spell?" She looked accusingly at Lucius.

"You can't possibly blame me for this!" Lucius found himself nearly yelling. "He did it for that girl," he roared with contempt.

"And he couldn't have done it, if he didn't know how to sever a man's spine with a single incantation!" Narcissa felt herself breaking out in a cold sweat. Her baby killed someone. It just didn't seem possible. The last time she saw him he was looking at his baby album with her. And today he killed a man.

"I didn't teach him it! That curse may have come up in conversation with Severus, but I would never teach Draco how to cut someone to the point where they would bleed to death!" Lucius started breathing as if he had just run a mile.

"Children sometimes like to eavesdrop when they know they aren't supposed to be part of the conversation. They want to see why they aren't allowed to know," Albus said quietly. "No charges will be pressed, given the circumstances." Narcissa covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Lucius felt too angry to comfort her.

When the aurors removed the body, Kim decided that she couldn't wait anymore and jumped over the pool of blood that Draco was still staring at. She sat next to him, but he did nothing to recognize her presence. They sat next to each other in silence for a while, and Kim was glad that the aurors weren't demanding a statement from Draco. "It'll be okay," she whispered. "I love you."

"I killed Crouch," Draco said dully.

"That's okay." He slowly turned to give her an incredulous look. "Sometimes when we're backed into a corner, we do awful things."

"I should have stunned him."

"Maybe." She smiled weakly. "But you did it to save me."

"Oh God," Draco groaned. "Don't get all big headed on me now. I honestly can't take it."

Kim scooted closer to him and kissed him on the forehead. "Do you want me to tell my biggest secret?" She looked at her shoes. "You aren't the only who has done bad things. I want you to know that things will get better. Like they did for me."

Draco swallowed. "Tonight. I won't be able to sleep anyway."

"It's a date." Draco stared at her. After a moment, he laughed without humor and then started crying.

* * *

Harry felt like he was heading to a funeral by the time they all headed back to Hogwarts. Draco looked like a zombie when the aurors finished interviewing him, and the only person he would talk to was Kim, who often received one word answers. Draco was to go to Dumbledore's office immediately, since his parents were waiting him. Kim promised to go with him, even though she knew they probably wouldn't want to see her, especially Lucius, but Draco wanted her to go, so that was what she was going to do. Harry wanted to talk to him and tell him that he saved both himself and Kim, which felt weird on so many levels but supposed that now wasn't the time.

Once Kim gave the password Rainbow Sprinkles, and they both walked slowly into the headmaster's office, Narcissa ran over and hugged Draco so tightly that he couldn't breathe. Lucius looked at Kim as if he wanted to slap her and was doing his best to restrain himself. When Narcissa finally let go, she had tears in her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so sorry, Draco."

He looked at the ground. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"How about you come home for a few weeks?" Narcissa asked gently.

Draco tensed. At home he would have nothing to do and no one to talk to but his parents, meaning he would have nothing to think about but the fact that he killed someone. "I would rather see how this week goes." Even he could hear the sadness in his own voice.

"Nonsense." Lucius final spoke. "Everyone will be talking about what happened. Do you want to hear about it constantly? See it on headlines in the paper on your way to breakfast? See the pity in everyone's eyes when they look at you? Poor Draco, the idiot who murdered for a halfblood," he finished with a snarl.

Draco felt his blood run cold and swayed as if he were going to pace out. Therefore, he barely noticed when Kim slapped Lucius in the face. He was so out of it, that he looked down to see if she was able to hit his father because she was in heels. She was wearing white wedges, with blood on the bottoms. His mouth suddenly seemed like it was full of sand. "Leave him alone," Kim stated. "He can always come home later if he can't take it! Maybe he's not comfortable going home with you. Though, I can't imagine why," she finished sarcastically.

"I-I just thought it would be easier to keep busy." Draco needed to get out of here. He couldn't face his father's fury or his mother's sadness. He quickly turned heel and walked away. "I'll see you around."

"I don't blame you." Narcissa said once Draco was gone. She shot her husband a glare. "Draco's in shock. He needs time. We'll be back at the school tomorrow. Come on, Lucius. You need time to figure out how to control yourself." She hurried over to the fireplace, hoping to find some firewhiskey in the kitchen at home. Lucius clenched and unclenched his fists a few times and then followed her.

When they were gone, Kim looked at Dumbledore anxiously. "I'm not upset that he's dead."

"There is nothing wrong with that, Kimberly." Dumbledore looked as if he was peering into her soul. "People celebrated when they thought Voldemort died. When a person instills nothing but fear and anguish into others, it is hard to see that person as human."

"But Draco…"

"Needs time to come to terms with the fact that he took another life." Dumbledore smiled at her sadly. "Surely you must understand that pain."

Kim bit her lip. "But when I came here, I felt so much better. Everyone made me so happy."

"And that is what will help Draco overcome this. Love is a powerful thing. Some say the most powerful emotion in the world."

* * *

Bellatrix sipped at her wine. Dolores Umbridge had just informed them of Crouch's demise. "Pathetic. He kept acting without consulting you, my lord. If you ask me, he deserved what he got."

"Silence!" Voldemort was irritated. How was he going to get a hold of Potter? Crouch was supposed to turn the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey the night before the third task, and now he was dead. "Barty Crouch has died a hero in my service! And may I remind you that it was your nephew who killed him, Bellatrix." Bellatrix looked away in shame. "I will have to _talk_ to Lucius when he comes crawling back. Now how am I going to get a hold of Potter?"

Antonin spoke up, "I'm sure I can get Dolores to do it."

Voldemort laughed. "And risk our only spy in the Ministry getting caught? Dolores is good at passing information, Antonin, but I wouldn't trust her with something this important. It has to be one of you."

"I-I could a-always sn-sn-sneak in as a rat, m-my lord," Wormtail squeaked.

Voldemort tapped his wand on the table, smirking at the fact that Peter flinched with every tap, even though he was too weak to even feed himself. "Do you think you could be trusted with such a task, Wormtail? If you fail, Nagini will be pleased because I will not be." Peter whimpered.

Bellatrix cackled. "Of course Wormy will fail! He's going to need all the help he can get!" Peter started shaking.

"Then what do you propose, Bella?" Voldemort was already showing his Death Eaters his horrifying, disgusting grin, knowing what she was going to say.

"I am _hoping_ that you will permit me to provide a wee little distraction, Master. Then Wormy can do what he needs to?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "It's been _forever _since I've seen the castle, my lord."

Voldemort laughed so coldly that Peter started shaking. "Very well, Bella. We will prepare for your trip back to school. Will anyone be joining her?" Everyone raised their hand to volunteer, knowing the consequences of wishing to remain. "Excellent!"

Voldemort was so happy that Harry woke up with the worst pain he ever felt when his dream ended. His scar hurt so badly that when he tried to open his eyes, all he saw was white. He was screaming so loud that Ron even woke up, and Neville jumped out of his bed and yelled out himself. Dean ran to go get McGonagall.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm thinking that there will only be two or three chapters left for this book. I'm not going to have Draco become depressed for killing Crouch because he did it to save Kim and Crouch was evil, but I didn't think he should think nothing of it either. I'm just going to have him and Kim talk about it in the next chapter. And also, Harry will thank Draco for saving everyone, which will make Harry feel very awkward. :) Please review!**


	25. The Sex Talk, part two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 25

A few hours before Harry woke up from his nightmare, Kim quietly tiptoed into the Slytherin boys dorms. Well, as quietly as she could, considering that she had to ask Pansy for the password and was carrying trays of food. Pansy was even nice enough to volunteer herself, Blaise, and Theo to try to teach Vince and Gregg how to play chess so they could talk. Pansy had rolled her eyes and said, "You know what they say, 'it takes a village.'"

She set the trays down and watched Draco while he slept. He opened one eye after a moment. "Creep." Sitting up, he explained, "I didn't want to talk to them so I was pretending to sleep." He sniffed the air. "Did you bring pancakes?"

Kim nodded. "Yup. Pancakes and bacon. It's best to have breakfast for dinner after a long day!"

Draco frowned. "It's just…wrong."

She shrugged. "That's what makes it so great."

They ate in silence for a while, sitting on Draco's bed. Draco mostly pushed his food around until Kim took his fork and started feeding him like a baby. Scowling, he snatched the fork out of her hand and began to eat. Kim laughed quietly to herself and picked up the syrup bottle to drown her pancakes. Putting his food on the nightstand, Draco asked, "So what you want to tell me?"

Kim paused with her mouth open and her fork almost to her mouth. Putting in down and placing her plate next to Draco's, Kim stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out how to form her words. "I killed someone once." Draco looked at her like he was waiting for her to say she was joking. She shook her head and lifted up her shirt, running a finger over the pink scar on her stomach. "And then I did this."

"N-no you didn't." There was no way that Draco was going to fall for that one, and if this was Kim's idea of a joke, then he was going to have trouble talking to her for a while.

Kim frowned. "I'll tell you the whole story…if you don't believe me, then ask Calvin. He would have no reason to lie to you." Kim told him all about the summer before she transferred to Hogwarts and was surprised that he didn't interrupt once, not even when she said she tried to take her own life. He simply clung to her every word, looking more and more depressed as the story progressed. "And then I came here, and felt like I was…a new person. Instantly, actually. One minute I was wasting away and the next I was getting pumpkin juice poured on my head." She grabbed his hand and smiled. "It was wonderful, meeting you all and starting over."

Draco felt his hand become clammy in hers. "Every time I close my eyes, I can't stop seeing all that blood."

"Which is why God created Dreamless Sleep Potions, just for us." Kim reached into her pocket and withdrew a small vial. "Don't turn into an addict on me."

Draco pushed the bottle away. "Stay with me tonight." Kim made a face that said _Really_? "To sleep, I mean. I'll pull the curtains around my bed. They'll never notice."

Kim bit her lip. Sirius would have an aneurism, and she was sure that Remus wouldn't be too happy either. But Hermione would cover for her when they asked where she was the next morning, wouldn't she? They didn't call her the brightest witch in their grade for nothing. Ignoring the fact that she was blushing, Kim said quietly, "Okay."

* * *

Sadly enough, Sirius was too distracted by the fact that Harry was screaming in pain at four in the morning to have an aneurism from the fact that his goddaughter spent the night with a boy. By the time Harry could see again, everyone was crowded around his bed, and he was covered in sweat. He felt Sirius slip his glasses on and heard him yell, "Back up! Give him room to breathe!" Harry noticed that Sirius didn't budge as everyone quickly backed up.

He sat up, ignoring the terrible headache he head and wiped his face with his blanket. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Sorry? Sorry? Do you hear that Moony? He's sorry." Harry felt like his head hurt too much to deal with Sirius's hysterics.

"Calm down, Sirius. You'll only upset him more." Harry had to admire how Remus was able to shut Sirius up.

Harry felt his vision finally focus and looked around to see Sirius, Remus, Professor McGonagall, and every Gryffindor in the Tower in the boys' dorm. He didn't see Kim though and knew Ginny must have been right. She was with Malfoy. "What happened, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked. "You seemed to be in the most unbearable pain. I was almost afraid that Poppy…" She was unable to continue, but Harry was sure she was going to say, _that Poppy was going to say that you were going to die._

Getting up because he knew he would be having a long talk with Dumbledore, Harry said, "He was really happy and excited. My scar hurts when he gets emotional. I've never seen him so excited."

McGonagall looked around at the crowd. "Perhaps it's best we continue this conversation in Albus's office."

Harry was glad that Hermione, Ron, and Ginny followed them. Then he wouldn't have to tell the story twice. Now that he was fully awake, he found himself becoming more and more tired with each step. Luckily, Sirius was too upset to ask where Kim was because Harry didn't think he could handle his godfather freaking out and storming the dungeons. He already felt a migraine coming on.

Surprisingly, Dumbledore was already awake, wearing footsy pajamas and a long hat. He was sipping from a coffee mug and reading an old book. Harry could help but smile as he rose from his seat. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I—" Harry started.

"He's had another dream, Albus!" Sirius cut him off. "His head's going to split open if we don't find a way to stop it!" Harry bit the inside of his cheek. Sure, it felt like his head was going to split open at the time, but Harry seriously doubted that would really happen.

"Can you tell us about the dream, my dear boy?" Dumbledore asked, choosing to ignore Sirius's hysterics.

"Well, they were talking about Crouch's death and now want to attack the school." Sirius snorted at the thought while Harry quickly told the story. "…and he was so excited at the thought of coming here that I felt like my head was going to explode. I don't think they're going to attack immediately though. They said they needed time to prepare."

"There's no way they can get into the castle," Sirius said, relieved. "But I think we're going to have to skip Hogsmeade for a while."

"But Peter knows the secret entrances to the castle." Remus started listing them off in his head. "And while Peter had many faults, he had a photographic memory when it came to maps. He could tell you the exact coordinates of a place on a map at any given time." He didn't want to admit it, but that was why the Marauder's Map was so accurate.

"Well, we'll just have to guard them." Sirius grinned. "Luckily we have the Map, and Peter doesn't."

"I'm sure Kingsley can send a few auror trainees." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling while Harry tried not to smile. That meant Calvin was going to come. He was sure Draco would just love that.

"But how do we know when they're going to attack?" Hermione asked. "And aren't there wards set up?"

"Ah, yes, Miss Granger. However, I assume that is what Voldemort meant by preparing. Any ward can be broken." Albus frowned. "We will strengthen them of course. And I will try to keep this from the Ministry, as I know Dolores Umbridge is not to be trusted. However, it will be difficult because of the Tournament."

"Oh yeah. That." Harry didn't even bother to hide his annoyance. The Ministry and anyone else entering the castle would have to have permission if the wards were strengthened. Would they report his dreams to the paper? Hopefully everyone wouldn't think he was a nut like Trelawney.

* * *

Kim decided to leave Draco alone for an hour or so the next day and after breaking into Harry's room to look at the Map, found everyone having lunch in Remus and Sirius's rooms. She sat down at the already crowded table and said, "I may need a lawyer."

Harry smirked. "What could you have possibly done now?"

"I slapped Lucius Malfoy in the face." She scrunched up her nose. "Does that count as assault?"

"Nice." Sirius's smile faltered at the look Remus gave him.

"What happened to trying to be less violent?" Remus asked.

Look Kim gave him said she forgot all about it. "I haven't attacked Ron in a while. That counts as something, doesn't it?" She smiled sheepishly.

Sirius waved Remus off. "Lucius is a git to say the least, Moony. What'd he do?"

Kim felt her cheeks burn. "'Cause he's a big fat jerk! I don't like him."

"Must've been something really bad if you aren't willing to tattle," Ginny said.

"Not true! I'm a tattle tale through and through!" Kim pouted. "He was just being mean because he wanted Draco to come home, and Draco didn't want to!"

"After all that Malfoy didn't want to go home?" Ron asked incredulously. "He killed someone! I'd be puking my guts out if I were him. All that blood." He shivered.

Kim felt her eyes glaze over at her own memories but shook her head as if that would throw them away. "He'll get over it."

"I suppose so," Hermione said slowly. "I mean, Harry isn't bothered by the fact that he killed Professor Quirrell."

Harry frowned. "I never thought about it like that, actually."

"You killed someone, and never thought about it!" Kim smiled brightly.

"I was more traumatized by the whole coming face to face with Voldemort thing." Harry pursed his lips in thought. "I never really gave Quirrell too much thought. Now that I think about it, it was really horrible. I sort of dissolved the guy." Kim started laughing. "Hey! It isn't funny! I feel awful! Especially since I still don't really care." That only made her laugh harder. Harry folded his arms over his chest in annoyance. "Whatever."

"Alright, alright." Sirius thought this was getting out of hand. "Harry, you did it in self-defense so it is natural to not feel guilt. The guy was trying to kill you! And if he went to Azkaban and met me..." Sirius shrugged. "The guy would've been toast anyway. And you." He pointed at Kim. "I don't know what to do with you." She stuck her tongue out at him. Sirius opened his mouth to retort and then closed it as if he just realized something. "Where were you last night?"

Kim blinked. "What do you mean?" She took a glass of water to drink out of so maybe Sirius wouldn't see the blush creeping into her face. "I was sleeping. I do do that from time to time, you know."

Sirius stared while everyone else but Remus was wondering if now was the time to bolt. Remus looked like he was trying to find a reason not to be angry. "Yes, but everyone woke up at four because Harry was screaming."

Kim's eyes widened. "Why was he screaming?" Harry suddenly got up to leave, giving Ginny a look that encouraged her and everyone else to follow. There was no way he could live through another sex talk.

Meanwhile, Sirius jumped out of his seat. "Where were you?!"

Kim bit her lip. "I was in the Hospital Wing, terrible _menstrual_ cramps." She emphasized the word so he would freak out and leave her alone. She felt relieved when he cringed.

Remus hated saying it, but there was no way that he wanted Kim to think she could just sleep in the Slytherin dorms whenever she wanted. He didn't want to think about what happened. Therefore he said, "So if we ask Madame Pomfrey, she'll back up you story."

To his dismay, she fidgeted. "Well, s-she sees so many patients. I'd be surprised if she remembered me, what with my common ailment and all."

Remus was trying to keep calm. "You're in there so often that she'd remember."

Sirius looked back and forth between the two. "Please tell me that Madame Pomfrey will be laughing at us as we awkwardly ask her about this later." Then he looked at the empty table. "And where the hell did everyone go?"

"You know what? I'd better go find them." Kim got up and started speed walking to the door.

Her hand was just on the door knob when Remus said firmly, "Stop right there." She turned around slowly and looked at the ground. "You slept with Draco, didn't you?"

"We didn't have sex," she muttered.

Sirius's face turned from white to a sickly green color red to. "The hell you didn't!"

Her eyes flashed. "He didn't want to be alone!"

"Which is why he has all those trolls and snakes he calls dorm mates!" Sirius found himself yelling.

"They don't understand what happened!" Kim tried to stomp down her sense of entitlement, knowing it would only make things worse.

"But that didn't give you the right to sleep in there," Remus stated before Sirius could start foaming at the mouth. "You're fourteen years old."

"It was just one time!"

"And it will only be one time," Sirius said in a deadly quiet voice. "Because you aren't allowed to so much as look at him again." Remus thought that was a bit too much but found himself too angry to say anything, maybe later when they both calmed down.

Kim felt her eyes widening. There was no way she could stop talking to Draco now. Like any brat would, she smiled and said, "Well, good luck with that." She turned heel and left before either recovered from the shock to say anything. She slammed the door so hard that it sounded like a gunshot.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "I'm surprised I haven't lost my hair by now."

* * *

Calvin grabbed Dora's hand and dragged her away from where all the other trainees stationed at Hogwarts for breakfast the next day, which was surprisingly at the Slytherin table. He sat down at the Gryffindor table while Dora took one look at Sirius and rolled her eyes. She knew that at some point he was going to call her Nymphy or even worse, her full name. Calvin started buttering his toast and looked for Kim. "I suppose she's skipping breakfast?"

"No," Sirius grumbled. "She's over there, being a brat." Calvin turned around to see her chattering away at the Slytherin table.

"Oh yeah, Barbie-Boy." Harry choked on his pumpkin juice at Calvin's words. "I read about him in the paper the other day. I remember the first time I killed someone." Dora and Hermione choked on their pumpkin juice. Calvin grinned. Maybe he could set some sort of record today. "Yup. I shot him in the head but was so close that the guy's head exploded."

"Uh!" Ron pushed his plate away. "We are trying to enjoy breakfast."

Dora decided it was time to change the subject. "So what'd she do?"

Sirius and Remus looked like they didn't want to say it, so Harry answered, "She slept in his bed last night."

Dora raised her eyebrows. "Slept?"

"That has yet to be determined," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

Calvin shrugged. "Slip her truth serum if it's bothering you that much." He turned to Harry. "Got any idea when their coming?" Harry shrugged. "Damn. I was ready to kick some ass. That Lestrange guy hasn't said a word since you got him, but I'm thinking this Pettigrew guy will spill some beans after a few punches to the gut."

* * *

Later that day in Potions, Harry whispered, "You better apologize. Remus and Sirius are furious."

"Why should I?" she hissed. "They didn't believe me!" Draco frowned. Kim hadn't mentioned fighting with Remus and Sirius.

"Yeah because you started off lying!" Harry clamped his mouth shut as Snape strode by to check their progress. At least Kim always made sure his potion was perfect now that he worked at the same table as her.

"What are you talking about?" Draco felt his voice become quieter and quieter under Potter's revolted gaze. They must have found out. "I was freaked out yesterday and couldn't sleep alone. It was my fault, not hers."

"The point is she still did it." Harry lowered the flame under his cauldron right after he saw Kim and Draco do it. "But I would still steer clear of them if I were you."

"It's not like they can tell me where to sleep." But Harry was able to see guilt creeping into Kim's eyes.

Harry frowned. "I think they can. Can't they?"

"Miss Potter," Snape interrupted. "Professor Dumbledore wants to see you." He glared at her like it was her fault, which it probably was. Kim walked away as if she were heading to the gallows.

They sat in awkward silence for another twenty minutes in the class. Draco was praying Harry wasn't going to give him the Paws off My Sister Talk while Harry was trying to figure out how to talk to him about yesterday. Well, he might as well just say it. "Thank you."

Draco almost knocked over a cauldron. "What?"

Harry felt his cheeks burn. "Not for that! For you know, getting rid of Crouch." Draco felt what little color he had drain out of him. "I mean, who knows where we would be if I had went with him. And Kim nearly killed Sirius, nearly killed everyone." He cleared his throat anxiously. "It was better the way it turned out."

Draco looked at the black liquid in his cauldron. "I wish I had stunned him."

Harry bit his lip. "You know, I killed Professor Quirrell." Draco stared. Was everyone a bloody murderer now? "And I don't regret it."

Draco brought his brows together, trying to figure out what to say. "Well, that's good I guess, Potter."

Harry's lips twitched. "The point is that I don't think you have to be devastated over it." Draco nodded in understanding. "Oh and Malfoy." Draco looked at him to continue while Harry started openly smiling. "Keep your paws off my sister." Draco felt his eyes popping out of his head. Had Potter just read his mind?

When the bell rang, Draco couldn't get out of class fast enough, but of course, Professor Snape had to say, "Mr. Malfoy. I'd like to see you after class." Draco winced. What now? He knew that Sev was listening to their conversation, but what could his godfather possibly have to say? Was it so wrong to want your girlfriend to stay with you after you killed someone?

"Listen, it won't happen again." Draco shrunk under his godfather's gaze. "No, I mean it. I was just afraid of having nightmares."

Severus sighed. "I know Lucius won't have this conversation with you so it is my responsibility as your godfather." Draco felt his jaw drop. No. Way. "I am hoping you will wait to start being…" He shuddered in revulsion. "Intimate. However—"

"No, no, no." Draco shook his head so fast his vision blurred. "D-Dad told me all about this."

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? Then what is the incantation to prevent pregnancy and the transition of sexually transmitted diseases." He was met with silence, making him smirk. "Didn't think so. Lucius tends to do whatever he pleases in regards to fatherhood. Do you at least know how children are created?"

Draco felt like his face was on fire. "Of course I do!" He crossed his arms and uncrossed them in embarrassment. "Mother told me."

"Yes, well at least someone has sense in this family." Severus glared at his godson. "This is the third time I have heard of or seen her in your bedroom and each time you are in a compromising position. And yet you do not even know how to take preventive measures. There is no way you would be able to handle the consequences. And God knows Miss Potter wouldn't either."

Draco clenched his fists. "I wasn't going to have sex with her last night!"

"And at the Yule Ball?" Again, Severus was met with silence. "Cast _impede vita_. It kills anything microscopic. If I find out you are going to be an unwed father before you reach your twenties, I will personally make sure you are unable to have children for the next decade. Do I make myself clear?" Draco gulped and nodded. "Do you have any questions?"

"Can you not tell my father?" Draco looked at Severus with fear. "I don't want to have this conversation twice."

Severus gave him a slight nod. "Very well."

Draco quickly left, but not before mumbling, "Now I'm really going to have nightmares."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kim was in Professor Dumbledore's office staring Calvin, Kingsley, and Dora down. "Why do you think I would let a bunch of Death Eaters into the castle?"

"Calvin said he had significant evidence," Kingsley said in his deep voice. Kim shot him a look of betrayal.

Calvin shrugged. "This was the only way I knew I could get a hold of you." Kingsley and Dora shot him incredulous looks while Kim didn't look surprised at all. Instead, she tried to run, but her older brother scooped her up. "Sorry, squirt. But you need to work things out with the convict and the wolf." He started to walk away with Kim slung over her shoulder as she kicked and screamed bloody murder.

Albus smiled when he left. "What a great brother."

Calvin burst into Remus and Sirius's rooms and stopped in his tracks. "Well, Cole owes me ten galleons."

Remus jumped off the couch from where he was on top of Sirius. "Oh my God," he groaned. "Was it necessary to bet on our sexuality?"

Kim realized what was going on even though she facing Calvin's back and started screaming again. Still, Calvin was able to say loudly over her, "No! We were betting on who was on top."

Sirius, red faced and refusing to meet Calvin's eye, sat up and muttered, "It isn't a permanent position."

"STOP TALKING!" Kim screeched.

Remus was trying his best not to think about crawling in a hole and dying. "Is there a reason that the two of you are here?"

"NO!"

"Yes," Calvin said calmly. "My job in the family is arbitrator." He walked over to the couch and plopped Kim on it. She shuddered in disgust. "Oh be quiet. Nothing happened." And then he smiled. "Within the hour anyway." She squeaked and ran over to the armchair. "I am afraid no place is safe in a place where children don't reside." Remus buried his face in his hands. Kim looked ready to have a tantrum. Sirius's faced housed a permanent blush.

"Calvin, you promised you wouldn't ever make me cry!" she whined.

Calvin shrugged. "Dora did say I was a liar." He took a moment to bask in everyone's embarrassment. "I'm here to form a contract for the three of you. So what is the exact situation?"

"They don't believe me!" Kim pointed accusingly at Sirius and Remus.

"She had sex with Malfoy!" Sirius shot back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

Calvin cocked his head to the side. "You didn't?"

Kim lunged herself at him. "You aren't helping!" They grappled for a minute before Calvin was able to force her back into the chair.

Remus sighed and quickly explained exactly what happened. Calvin grinned. "Well, shit. The kid's got guts to pull something like that. But I think Barbie Boy isn't smooth enough to go all the way." He laughed loudly. "He looks like he's barely wrapping up puberty."

Kim huffed in annoyance. "Either way, I wouldn't lie because Sylvia said I would have to go the hospital." Remus felt his eyes widen. She still believed that? Sirius smiled like Christmas came early.

Calvin blinked. "Wait. What?" He looked really confused. "Just how big is Malfoy's dick? And how does Sylvia know?" Then he shook his head. "You know what? I don't even want to know. Sheesh. I'll never look at him the same way again."

Kim was stared. "Why would she need to know? She was talking about all guys in general."

"I'm going to assume this is something ridiculous and let you figure out the truth in some hilarious way." Calvin turned to Remus and Sirius. "Now what do you have to say now that this has been established?"

"She still shouldn't have slept in his bed," Remus said before Sirius could add something threatening.

Calvin nodded. "Then that has to be clearly stated in the contract."

"Contract?"

"And she can never see Malfoy again!" Sirius added. Kim shot him a murderous look.

Calvin held his hands up to silence him. "Quiet. I am trying to think of a contact that will satisfy all parties." He closed his eyes in deep thought. After a minute or two, he opened them. "How about this? Kim is allowed to see Barbie Boy if she promises to talk to you if she thinks about having sex so you can talk try to talk her out of it."

Sirius didn't look too happy about that, but Calvin could see Remus getting ready to cave. Kim raised her hand. "There needs to be an age clause." Kim looked at Sirius suspiciously as Calvin motioned for her to continue. "Seventeen."

"Twenty," Sirius said instantly.

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Eighteen."

"Twenty-two!"

Her eyes widened this time. "You can't do that!"

"The hell I can't!"

Calvin conjured a gavel and smacked it one the coffee table. "I think nineteen is appropriate considering that that is the time when the average witch graduates from her career training and moves out of the house." Kim and Sirius were staring each other down. "And she can't sleep in the same bed as Barbie Boy until she talks to you guys too."

Kim threw her hands up in the air. "It was one time!"

"That's what they all say." Calvin was trying his best not to laugh.

"And if this contract is broken." Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes at the word contract.

"Hey! This is a real magical contract." Calvin took out a piece of parchment just waiting to be written on. "It goes for you guys too. If you forbid her to see Draco for no apparent reason, then you'll face the consequences too." He suddenly became deadly serious. "All your hair will fall out and then will grow back fluorescent blue for the next six months."

Kim glared at the parchment and pouted. "I'll sign it if they do."

Sirius scowled at the magically binding parchment too. "I would prefer it if it said she wouldn't have sex at all." He gritted his teeth and reluctantly added, "Until she's nineteen." Kim clenched her jaw. She was going to have the best nineteenth birthday ever. And then she would have to head straight to the hospital, of course.

Calvin sighed. "Well, tough. You can't get everything you want when you compromise."

Knowing that James would be raving mad if he knew about this, Remus said, "I would rather have this than nothing at all." He smiled at Sirius. "And I'm sure you can tell some horrific story to talk her out of it, Padfoot."

With the slightest of nods from Sirius, Calvin set to work on the contract, including every detail he could think of and arguing with Kim all the way. Sirius needed a calming draught when she declared that seeing each other naked shouldn't count in the sex category. Remus was surprised that his hair wasn't completely gray after all of this. Finally, the three of them signed the most awkward contract in known existence. When it was done, Sirius stood up and stretched. "If I see you with blue peach fuzz on your head, I know who to kill."

Kim took that as an apology and apologized back by saying, "I'll have killed you before your hair can grow back blue." Remus shook his head. At least everything was back to normal again. Well, at least as normal as it could get with this family.

* * *

Harry held Ginny's hand as they walked over to the Quidditch pitch with Dora to get some last minute flying in before they started setting up whatever the Ministry workers were planning on starting to set up in two weeks. Dora had told them what Calvin was doing, and Harry couldn't be happier. It was a nice day out, Ginny wanted to fly on the Firebolt _with_ him, and he wasn't part of the Sex Talk, part two.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Next chapter will have more action in it! The chapter after that will be the Third Task, and then after that, the aftermath. Did any of you guys see my Regular Show reference? Please review!**


	26. Battle of Hogwarts?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: I should've been studying for finals, but I kinda went fanfiction crazy this weekend, and as you can see in this chapter, things got a little crazy.**

Chapter 26

As the weeks went by and there was still no sign of the Death Eaters, Fudge came to the school, wondering why the wards were so strong that not even he himself could get in and why the auror trainees were getting their education here instead of their own school. Dumbledore insisted they remain and requested that Fudge come into his office since he was getting rather flustered in the Great Hall. Harry looked at Sirius nervously. "Is he going to tell about…you know?"

Sirius growled at the possibility as Fudge exited the Great Hall. "I'll go see." He changed into Padfoot and scampered off.

Albus chuckled when he saw Sirius trotting after him, but Fudge looked far from amused. "There is nothing wrong with pets, Cornelius. Gummybears." The gargoyle moved out of their way, and they ascended up the steps.

Before any conversation could begin, Fudge had to be properly fed and watered. Albus ordered him tea and scones from Dobby, who quickly returned with a pop. Fudge took a sip of his tea and a bite of his scone before nodding approvingly. "Now, Albus, what is all of this business with upping security? The Death Eaters that escaped are a bunch of loons. They've most likely killed each other by now."

"Except that Voldemort is leading them," Albus said quietly. Fudge flinched. "They are planning to attack the school."

Fudge laughed nervously. "And how would you know this?"

"I have my sources," Albus said cryptically. Padfoot wagged his tail in approval.

"You-Know-Who is dead," Fudge said as if it were a fact. Didn't Albus know the panic it would cause if he started talking like that? People would be storming the Ministry with questions, asking if they were safe or if they should strengthen their own wards. They would ask a thousand questions that Fudge just didn't have the answer to, and he wasn't about to look like a fool because of Albus Dumbledore's 'sources'. "You do not have the right to keep this amount of aurors here without my permission, even if they have not graduated yet. Students are writing to their parents saying that there are aurors guarding the school. The parents are wondering if their children are safe here, Albus! I will not stand for it!"

"Cornelius." Albus felt angry for the first time in a while. "If you force the aurors to leave, you will regret it."

Fudge bristled. "Is that a threat, Albus?" Padfoot growled.

"It is a warning!"

Fudge rose from his chair. "May I remind you that I am the Minister, not you?" He began to storm out but stopped at the doorway. "The aurors will be gone by tomorrow morning."

Sirius quickly transformed once he was gone. "Well, that's not good."

"I will try to summon Order members if anything happens, of course. But the students' safety is number one priority." Albus immediately started pacing. "I thought this was going to happen, what with the Third Task in less than two weeks." The Cup would be put in place tonight, which was why Fudge had stopped by, and then the rest of the two weeks would be dedicated to adding in all the obstacles.

"Will it be enough?" Sirius asked hopefully.

Albus stared out the window, watching a few children who went out to play with the giant squid. "We can only hope."

* * *

"Gymnastics lesson number two!" Harry looked with despair at Kim and Gabrielle, who had forced him to take part in another lesson in front of Hagrid's hut. And it was just his luck that Hagrid's hut was currently surrounded by fire breathing cats. At least Malfoy wasn't here to laugh at him. He was currently trying to teach Crabbe and Goyle, since exams were coming up. Hermione was doing the same to poor Ron and Ginny. Kim got out of it today because she started crying, saying that she didn't think Harry would survive the final task if he didn't know gymnastics. Once away from Hermione, she immediately ceased her sniveling, reminding Harry strongly of Dudley.

Harry groaned as Kim did a handstand and Gabrielle bent over to follow her lead. "Only for an hour."

"Two hours!" Scowling, Harry put his hands and head on the ground to start off with a headstand. His shirt fell over his head, causing him to frantically start kicking his feet and fall to the ground. He heard a giggle that sounded suspiciously like Gabrielle's.

Pulling his shirt off of his face, Harry looked up to see Kim staring down at him with disappointment. "Tuck in your shirt or take it off! Do you want to die because of Dudley Dursley clothes?! You should have just worn your own! Fuck grass stains!" Gabrielle grinned brightly at her cursing.

Praying that no one else was going to show up, Harry threw off the tent that was his shirt since he had an undershirt on. "Only an hour," he repeated, more to himself then to the two girls.

"Two hours!" This time it was surprisingly Gabrielle who spoke up.

Harry almost broke his neck several times while doing headstands that took twenty minutes to become handstands. Gabrielle and Kim cartwheeled around him a few times to keep the fire breathing cats at bay. Then they tried to teach him to do cartwheels, since he had forgotten since his last lesson. Harry couldn't help but wonder what Voldemort would do if he tried to cartwheel away from him. Once he mastered regular cartwheels, Kim tried to teach him how to do a one handed cartwheel, but he fell flat on his face and cracked his glasses. She tapped them with her wand and frowned, "We'll move on to backflips."

Harry checked his watch as Kim did a backbend and stood up really fast. It had been an hour and fifteen minutes, and Harry thought he was going to die. He fell so many times today that he was amazed he wasn't all bruised up, but he looked at a Gabrielle's smiling face and couldn't say no. Sighing as he stood up, Harry held his hands up and leaned backwards, not being surprised at all when he fell to the ground.

* * *

Sirius raised his eyebrows when Harry hobbled over to the table at lunch. Gabrielle smiled at him. "'arry can do a handstand and cartwheels and a backbend now!"

"Zhere you are Gabrielle!" Fleur bustled over. "Where were you?"

"Gymnastics!" Kim exclaimed.

Fleur smiled. "Zounds fun. But Mama and Papa wrote to you today." Fleur handed Gabrielle a letter which she took immediately and ran off to go read it. "Zhe mizzes them. But I'm sure zhe will mizz you when we go 'ome."

Kim's eyes widened. "Then move here!"

"Maybe one day," Fleur said, thinking of Bill, who had recently gone back to Gringotts. Then she waved goodbye and went off to go read her own letter.

Kim shook her head. "After the Tournament, we have to have a crazy party to say goodbye to everyone! Someone has to swing from the chandeliers or ride through the school on a donkey or something! And then, and then, next year is going to be super crazy!"

"How about a year where nothing happens?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Nope!" Kim squirted ketchup all over her French fries. "Next year is going to be nuts!" She looked over at Remus and Sirius. "Expect letters and conferences by the way."

"Thanks for the mental preparation," Remus replied sarcastically.

"Anytime, my friends, anytime."

Bellatrix hummed jovially as she skipped over to the entrance that led to the fourth floor of Hogwarts, all the other Death Eaters besides Wormy following. The wards at the entrance oe the fourth floor were strong, but not as strong as the others because of the fact that it was caved in. She twirled her wand that she had recently acquired from Gringotts in between her fingers and grinned. She would be in within the hour.

That morning everyone was surprised to see Calvin at the breakfast table. Kim poked him with her fork. "You were supposed to have skipped away with Dora half an hour ago."

Calvin grinned and flicked her on the nose, ignoring her cries of outrage. "I decided to stay."

Hermione frowned. "Can you do that? I mean, it's like skipping school." She looked appalled at the thought.

Calvin shrugged. "Fudge said that if I wanted to be an auror that I would have to leave. I told him that I would be fine living off the bounty money that comes with being a vigilante."

"So you were expelled?" Harry already felt guilty. What if the Death Eaters never showed up? Then Calvin would have given up his career for nothing, and it would be all his fault. But if the Death Eaters did show up that would be even worse.

Calvin clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's been a while since I kicked ass. I'm going to spill some blood when these guys show up. And when people ask why they didn't have anyone protecting the castle, the Ministry will say they placed me there all along to protect you snot nosed brats."

Kim said, with her hand over her nose, "If not, you can be our personal bodyguard."

"God knows you need it," Sirius muttered.

"Sirius…" Kim gave him a condescending look. "I have recently mastered a shielding charm." She stretched. "Yup. I'm well on my way to becoming an auror myself." Ron immediately started laughing at her. "Hey! I can kick butt too you know."

Ron grinned. "I'd like to see you tr—" BOOM! The whole school shook, causing several first years to fall out of their seats. Ginny grabbed Harry's arm in fear. Calvin smiled like he just won the lottery. Chaos quickly ensued, and people started screaming and running around the room.

"SILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore boomed. "Everyone is to leave the school immediately! Head to the Hogwarts Gates. Any student who has an apparition license, please be prepared to use side-long apparition in case of emergency."

As if the castle were on fire, students started screaming and shoving each other to get out of the castle as soon as possible. Harry looked at Sirius from the corner of his eye. He knew Sirius would want him at Hogwarts Gates, but he also knew Sirius and Remus would be sticking around for the fight. He felt Ginny grab his hand. "From the looks of this we're getting out last anyway. It'll probably be too late." Harry nodded solemnly.

* * *

Of all the days Draco wanted to skip breakfast and take a long, hot shower, it had to be today. Whatever happened to make the ground shake caused him to fall flat on his face in the shower. The pure white tiles turned pink with his blood as the hot water was still streaming out of the showerhead. Grumbling in annoyance at his broken nose, Draco got out of the shower to dress quickly and head to the Hospital Wing, which was becoming like a second Common Room for him.

He met with complete mayhem when ascended to the first floor. Most of the students had made it out already, but there was still plenty of screaming. He started screaming too when someone grabbed his nose and pulled at it. "Awww! What happened to Cissy's little dragon? Did he bump his little nosey?" Draco looked up to see the deranged eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange. She let go of his nose and patted his cheek. "Was it an accident when you killed Crouch, Drakey-Poo?" Draco paled. "That's what Cissy always said when she did something bad so Father wouldn't smack her little behind." She cackled at the memory.

"I-I…" Draco found himself at a loss for words. Bellatrix wanted to kill him. He could see it in her eyes.

Bellatrix cupped Draco's face in her hands, smiling at the fact that blood from his nose that was on her fingers smeared on to his face. "Would you prefer the Killing Curse or to have your neck snapped? I always give family a choice." Draco could taste the bitter, acidic bile in the back of his mouth.

"_Incedio!_" Bellatrix's shoulder immediately caught fire. She stared at it in shock for a minute before screeching and patting the flames away. Draco looked over her burnt shoulder to see Kim staring at his aunt with a horrible coldness in her eyes. He shivered and looked past her and saw several students running back to the Great Hall in fear. There were several other Death Eaters in the vicinity.

Bellatrix laughed. "Well if it isn't the little pipsqueak who started it all!" She raised her wand and took a few steps towards Kim. "You have disgraced my family far worse than Siri ever managed to!" she snarled.

"I will kill you," Kim warned.

Bellatrix looked around at the Death Eaters who were dueling everyone else, including a few teachers, as if she wanted them to see the joke. She smiled. "Oh really? _Expelliarmus!_"

Kim blinked in surprised when her wand flew out of her hand, making Draco smack his forehead in frustration. How could she not have expected that? He was just about to pull out his own wand when Kim screamed in rage and ran over to one of the suits of armor. Bellatrix watched her curiously at she pried an axe out of its arms. Her eyes widened as Kim started to chase her with it.

* * *

Harry was surprised at how fast Dolohov could move, considering how thin and gaunt looking he was. He managed to push Hermione to the ground as several jets of green light came speeding towards her. By the time the two were able to get up, Dolohov was already in an intense duel with Ginny. He ran over to help her but stopped when he heard Remus scream out in pain.

Remus was lying on the ground covering his face with his hands. Harry saw smoke coming out from between his fingers. Rodolphus Lestrange was a few steps away from Remus and was jingling coins in his hands. He jeered. "And here I thought you halfbreeds were always in desperate need of money." He pegged a sickle a Remus's hands, and even though it bounced off immediately, Remus's hands instantly looked as if the skin had burned off.

Harry raised his wand to curse Lestrange, but Calvin beat him to it. He didn't hear what incantation Calvin used, if he spoke at all. With a swift swish of his wand, Rodolphus flew into the wall so hard that when he slid to the ground, there was blood smearing on the stone. Calvin flicked his wand again, making Rodolphus, who was now screaming, rise into the air. "_Manus Perforabit_!" Rodolphus flew back to the stone floor where spikes suddenly appeared and pierced his hands. Grinning like a maniac, Calvin walked over and stepped on the Death Eater's back. "So are you going to talk?"

Rodolphus grunted in pain. "I will never betray the Dark Lord!"

Calvin reached into his pocket and took out a small knife. Planting it in Rodolphus's shoulder, he said, "We'll see."

Harry would have continued to watch in horror, but Augustus Rookwood charged his way. "_Frangit ossa_!"

He dodged it and cast, "_Conjunctivitis!_" He breathed a sigh of relief when Rookwood fell to the ground because he couldn't see and was surprised to see how quickly his eyes started to swell shut. Now it was time to help Ginny.

Ginny felt sweat plaster her hair to her head as she continued to duel Dolohov. Her right hand hung limp after he broke it, and she found it difficult to duel with her left. Her Bat Bogey Hex only kept him down for a minute. Dolohov just blew his nose into his sleeve and jumped up to continue their duel. So far she had managed to dodge all three Unforgivables and was happy to say that Dolohov looked a little warn out too. "_Stupefy!_" she cried. Dolohov laughed and jumped out of the way, right into Harry's line of fire.

Harry couldn't help but feel fear engulf him as he saw Ginny getting more and more worn out, but he couldn't get into a position where he wouldn't risk stunning Ginny. If he went behind Dolohov, he would have his back to all the other Death Eaters, which would just make everything ten times worse. He grinned when Dolohov jumped out of the way from Ginny stunner. That was all he needed. "_Stupefy!"_

* * *

Ron and Neville found themselves literally backed into a corner by Mulciber and Travers and two other Death Eaters that they couldn't remember from the wanted posters. Ron gulped and looked at Neville, who was already disarmed. "Why is it always us?"

"Because you're both blood traitors, just like your parents!" Mulciber spat.

Travers chuckled. "How would you like to end up with your parents, Longbottom?" Neville started shaking.

Ron gritted his teeth. He had always assumed that Neville's parents were dead, since Neville lived with his grandmother. That was definitely a low blow. "Eat slugs!" This time Ron didn't have a faulty wand, and Travers spent the next few days vomiting the beasts.

Mulciber laughed at his friend's torment and the other two Death Eaters followed. One grabbed Neville by the shoulders to hold Neville still will the other raised his wand. Mulciber said, "I here St. Mungo's has improved their menu!" Ron stared. So Neville's parents were in the Hospital? Mulciber chortled until his legs and arms snapped against his body. He fell to the ground to reveal Sirius. The look on his face told Ron that he saw Remus. The other two Death Eaters abandoned Neville and walked over to pick on someone their own size.

Ron stunned one while Sirius started dueling to the other. Hermione raced over to him. "Are you alright?" He nodded. "Good. Hagrid is carrying Remus to the Hospital Wing. The teachers are apparating students home." Before Ron could nod again, the ground shook with the incantation Albus used to knock all the Death Eaters to their feet.

* * *

Kim swung the axe around with every intention of chopping Bellatrix's head off. First she tried to kill Sirius at Hogsmeade and now this? There was no way she was going to let someone close to her die again. She swung again, getting a sick satisfaction when took a chunk out of Bellatrix's arm. "Like I said, Bitch, I'm going to kill you!" She panted for a moment exhaustion. "But maybe not today because I haven't finished breakfast yet." She swung again, making Bellatrix fall to the ground to avoid having her abdomen ripped open. "I mean it's the most important meal of the day." This time she swung and scrapped some skin off of Bellatrix's knee. "And it's been a while since I worked out." Kim yelped in surprise when the ground shook, and she fell on top of Bellatrix.

* * *

Once Albus made sure that the students that couldn't get out of the school in time were safe in the Great Hall, which was now barricaded with the tables, he decided it was time to end this fight. He had contacted the Ministry the Great Hall, so they were on their way. Raising his wand in the air, he began chanting so that anyone with dark intentions would fall to the floor from an "earthquake" while anyone who had intended to purely protect themselves and their loved ones would remain on their feet. Albus was sure that those on the Light would forget about their hatred and focus on making it out of the battle alive. He shook his head when he saw Kim and Calvin fall to the ground.

He opened his mouth to announce the Ministry's impending arrival when Albus was interrupted with a loud squeaking noise. All the conscious Death Eaters stopped their struggle and jumped off the ground as if they were electrocuted. Even Rookwood stood up. They raised their wands and said all at once, "_Scutum electrica_!" They're bodies were suddenly covered with strands of electric white light. Sirius sent a stunner to Bellatrix, but it just bounced off and hit the wall. Laughing, she ran off with all the other Death Eaters, leaving her husband behind. Sirius yelled out in frustration once they were gone and ran as fast as he could to the Hospital Wing.

Kim yawned. "Where's he going?"

Harry stared at her for a minute, realizing she was too caught up in trying to kill Bellatrix to see what happened to Remus. "We have to go the Hospital Wing. Now!" Everyone else was already on their way.

Kim shrieked when she saw Remus, whose face and hands were terribly red and swollen while he appeared to be barely breathing. Sirius whirled around and looked at her. "That blood on you, is it yours?" She shook her head no frantically. "Good." He turned back to face Remus and went to grab his hand but stopped at the sight of the burns.

Madame Pomfrey grabbed some water and what appeared to be a small stone and poured it into Remus's mouth. He choked and spluttered but didn't wake. "The bezoar is the best I can do. I'm just hoping the pain won't give him a heart attack."

Harry felt hopeless as he looked at the horrible burns the silver sickles caused Remus, that is, until he got an idea. "Kim!" She yelped and looked at him. "That potion you make for Cole…Would that help?"

Calvin straightened up. "You make those for Cole? He has me making them for him." Calvin narrowed his eyes. "The bastard got addicted to them."

"Addicted?" Sirius squeaked. "As in addicted because they help with pain? Do you have them? Will they work on Remus?"

"I have the ingredients in my room. It sooths terrible burns," Kim said quietly.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Sirius barked. "Go get them." Eyes filling with tears, Kim grabbed Harry's arm so he could help her make them and ran up to Gryffindor Tower.

Calvin shook his head and laughed. "Cole played us like a true addict. I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow conned Sylvia into making it for him too."

"But will it work on Remus?" Hermione asked. "I mean, these were from silver, and Cole's were from fire."

Calvin thought for a minute. "I don't see why not. But they won't make him wake up. Is he in a coma?" Madame Pomfrey seemed too upset to answer. "The bezoar won't help if the damage is too severe since technically silver isn't a poison. It just is to Remus." He shrugged helplessly. "He'll just need time I guess."

Kim and Harry showed up about forty minutes later, and from the look Kim was giving him, Sirius could tell she was mad at him for snapping at her. Well, tough. She and Harry each had a jar in their hands that looked more like a salve than a potion. Sirius ran over to grab it, but Kim smacked his hand away. "You can't use your fingers! The oils in them will change things chemically, and they can't do that until they come in contact with the patient!" She reached into her pocket and took out a few soft paintbrushes. "Use these and apply it every two hours. But only a thin layer or you'll irritate his skin." She shoved the jar at him and sat on a bed next to Remus's.

Harry had his own paintbrush and helped Madame Pomfrey put it on. Sirius tried to put it on at first, but Calvin said he was putting too much on and that his hands were shaking too much. He threw his hands up in the air and sat next to Kim, who punched him in the shoulder as revenge and then stopped looking at him so murderously. Harry had to say that he was surprised at how quickly it worked. It only took two minutes for Remus's skin to stop looking like it was peeling off or completely gone and now just looked like he had been in the sun to long. Once he was done, he asked Calvin how long Remus would have to use this.

Calvin pursed his lips in thought. "Cole is stuck with it for life, but Remus was only in contract with what had burned him for a second at most, while it took us a few minutes to get the flames off of Cole. I would say until winter at the very least."

"What about on the full moon?" Draco asked curiously, causing everyone to jump since this was the first time he had spoken in the last hour.

Calvin gritted his teeth. "Fuck!"

"Can a pill form be made?" Madame Pomfrey wondered. "He could be given a stronger dose that would last him through the night."

"Maybe," Calvin considered. "I'll write to Darwin." He walked away, amazed at how quiet the school was since all the students had been evacuated.

"When's he gonna wake up?" Kim demanded.

"We don't know," Sirius whispered.

She narrowed her eyes and decided to change the subject. "Fix him!" She pointed at Draco's broken nose. "He looks icky." Ginny had gotten her hand fixed while they were making the potion.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Madame Pomfrey chided. "Why didn't you say anything before?" Before he could answer, she bustled away to get a damp cloth to clean him up. Sirius got up and started pacing.

Ginny hugged Harry and buried her face in his shoulder. "He'll be fine." Harry wondered if she was talking to him or herself.

After about ten minutes, Sirius left the Hospital Wing. He couldn't take it anymore, and he knew that Rodolphus would still be here as the Ministry was trying to pry him out of the spikes that Calvin had erected. They were just levitating him off when Sirius showed up. The son of a bitch had the nerve to smile at him, to smile before Sirius killed him.

He heard Dora scream as he ran over and put his hands around Rodolphus's throat. He was going to do it. Remus wasn't here to stop him this time. Sirius only tightened his grip at the thought. Rodolphus was already turning blue, and the Death Eater was in too much pain and had lost too much blood to fight back.

Severus, who had just returned from apparating the last of his students home, entered into the castle to find Black strangling Rodolphus. Something must have happened to the wolf or one of the Potter brats. He looked over to see Albus. Their eyes met, and the headmaster nodded. Severus knew he would have to be the one to do it because if it was him, word would get back to the other Death Eaters. They would think he was still loyal. Therefore, he pointed his wand at Black and said, "_Stupefy._"

Calvin returned just as Sirius was being levitated into the Hospital Wing. "If he's in a coma too, I'm beating him until he wakes up."

Albus shook his head. "He tried to kill Mr. Lestrange, so he had to be stunned."

Kim walked over to where Sirius was lying down. "Can he still feel things?" Albus nodded just as Kim slapped him. "SIRIUS! You can't make Remus worry about you! What if he's having an out of body experience, and he sees you doing this stuff?!"

Harry grabbed Kim by her shoulders and pulled her away. "You'll just make him worry worse."

"But—" Harry shook his head, making Kim clench her fist and rub at her eyes. After that, all they did was wait.

Sirius regained movement about an hour later and immediately started sulking afterwards. He was too depressed to start pacing again, so he just stared at the ceiling above his bed.

* * *

After a few hours, Madame Pomfrey mentioned that some people think that people in a coma can hear what they're saying. Everyone was nervous about what to say, so Kim decided it was the best course of action to anger Remus awake. She told him about how she tried to cut Bellatrix up into a thousand pieces, how Sirius had been secretly letting her take the written DADA tests in Dumbledore's office, that it was her who put strawberry milk into his coffee two mornings ago, and about how she set Hermione's study chart on fire three weeks ago and had yet to study for her finals. Unfortunately, Remus didn't budge. She flopped faced first on a bed and said into the pillow, "Tell him about Aunt Marge. Maybe that will get him up."

"Er…" Harry tried to ignore Sirius's questioning look. "I think we needed to give him a few days."

She looked up from the pillow with tears in her eyes. "But-but whenever we get hurt we're always awake by the next day!"

Harry could see Sirius getting annoyed. "Just give him a couple of days," he repeated firmly. And then, thinking to himself that Sirius owed him big time and that Malfoy was going to kill him, he said, "I'll help you and Gabrielle teach Mal-Draco gymnastics if you want." Draco sat up in surprise. What in the devil was Potter talking about?

Kim looked at Sirius's twitching eye and could see that he needed quiet. "Only an hour."

Harry smiled. "Two hours."

Draco knew that Potter wanted to keep Kim busy but was this really necessary? He would rather be doing anything else right now. He would even take the time to have tea with that oaf, Hagrid, but when he suggested, Kim insisted that Draco tell the man about how much he loved his class and wanted to know what it would be like to give those fire breathing cats catnip. Unfortunately, Draco's pride got in the way and he got grass stains on his shirt from falling so much.

Gabrielle even laughed at him when his pants ripped after doing a split. Being laughed at by a little girl made him rethink having a conversation with Hagrid. He sat up, breathless. "I don't care how many questions I have to ask and how many rocks I have to eat. I'm done."

Kim cast a worried glance back at the castle. "Maybe it's time to go back." Even as they spoke, they could see a few seventh years heading back to school.

"Kim, Sirius is really touchy right now." What Harry didn't want to add, was that Remus wasn't around to stop a fight if Sirius snapped at her.

She turned red. Was she really that annoying? She was just upset and was trying not to show it. "Well maybe we can bring him a sleep potion or something."

* * *

The next few days were horrible in Draco's opinion, and he wasn't even close enough to Lupin to be on a first name basis with him. Students slowly came back into the school as the week progressed and kept hounding him with questions about 'The Battle of Hogwarts' as the papers dubbed it. Draco mostly brushed them off, since he was ashamed to say that he spent most of this battle cowering in the corner. The only person he told what had happened was Blaise, who shrugged. "If Pansy started attacking my aunt with an axe, I'm pretty sure I'd shit myself."

"Thanks Blaise," Draco grumbled.

Blaise smiled. "If you didn't like what you did this time, then make sure you don't next time. Besides, bravery isn't exactly a Slytherin quality."

"But what if Bellatrix had killed her or something? I mean, she had a wand and Kim didn't."

"But Kim had an axe," Blaise said dryly. "Wand or not, that's pretty scary." Draco didn't respond. "If you want to be brave than be brave. There's not much else I can tell you, mate." Draco rolled his eyes and got up from his favorite chair in the Slytherin Common Room to head over to the Hospital Wing.

Once he reached there, the scene before him almost made him want to roll his eyes again. Kim seemed to be trying to bore Remus awake by reading from _Hogwarts, A History_ while Sirius stared at Remus as if trying to wake him up telepathically. Ginny was trying to shove a plate with a sandwich at Harry trying to make him eat while Ron was eyeing said sandwich and appeared to be seriously considering snatching it away from Harry's plate. Hermione seemed to be making Kim a new study chart. "When's the last time you lunatics slept?"

"How can we sleep when Remus can't wake up?" Kim snapped.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "Easy. You go lay down, put some covers on, and close your eyes."

Kim opened her mouth to verbally assault him, but Harry cut her off. "Maybe he's right." Harry tried to ignore Draco's look of utter shock. "I mean, Remus wouldn't want us worrying about him. He'd smile and say, "You all worry about me enough." And then Sirius would say that's nonsense and go back to worrying even more."

"But what if he wakes up?" Sirius mumbled. He hadn't slept in the last two days and had only slept before that when Madame Pomfrey was slipping sleeping potions into the food that he barely nibbled at. He had to admit that it looked like there were two of Harry right now, but he wasn't sure if one of them was Ron since the one on the right was eating a sandwich.

"Then you'll have a heartfelt reunion," Draco drawled. "If he wakes up, it's not like he's going to croak two seconds later. He isn't dying. That fat old healer guy— "

"Darwin," Kim corrected.

Draco shot her an annoyed look. "Fine. _Darwin_ said he's recovering. The point is that you guys are all getting on my nerves so go to bed."

Kim did her best to look hurt. "Even me?"

"Yes." Draco did his best not to smile and tease her by saying, _Especially you_.

Sirius looked at Remus helplessly. "But I…I mean…I didn't get the chance to…I mean, not enough at least…"

"Then go to bed before you collapse, Black." Madame Pomfrey appeared with a vial of dreamless sleep potion.

"He-he needs his medicine every two hours." Sirius was trying desperately to get out of sleeping. Hermione and Ron already dragged Ginny up to bed.

"And Madame Pomfrey and I can put it on," Draco said haughtily. "Believe it or not, Black, but we don't turn into bumbling idiots the minute you leave the room."

Draco could tell that Black was trying not to drop dead. "So you're saying that'll you stay up all night with him?"

"Yes," Draco reluctantly replied.

Thoroughly pissed off, Black snatched the vial out of Madame Pomfrey's hand, drank it all in one swig, and started to head towards the doors. He walked about two yards before collapsing on the ground. Madame Pomfrey smirked and then levitated him onto the bed with a flick of her wand. Harry and Kim looked at each other and then scurried off to bed.

Draco was surprised to admit that he didn't feel awkward when he applied Remus's medicine. He would never admit to his father that he secretly wanted to be a healer though. Lucius had been trying to restrain himself when it came to enforcing tradition lately, but Draco knew that his father would have a point where he would draw the line. For now, Draco would stick to books and the occasional silver-poisoned werewolf.

Speaking of a silver-poisoned werewolf, Draco thought it was high time the man woke up and figured it would be best to just tell him about it. Everyone else was asleep, so they weren't around to tease him about it, and it was worth a shot. Madame Pomfrey said that Remus might be able to hear him, right? _Well,_ _here goes nothing,_ Draco thought to himself. "Now listen up Lupin!" Remus didn't move. "You have to wake up because I will not allow my girlfriend to be raised by someone like Black. First of all, the house will be a wreck, and I'm sure alcohol will be allowed. Both her and Potter would be covered from head to foot in leather, which I personally am not too fond of. I also wouldn't approve motorbikes or tattoos or late night parties every night or whatever else Black can put his mind to. And then of course the bloke would be miserable without you, making the situation worse. Black would castrate me for even holding her hand while Potter will be marrying Weaslette within the next year or so to start popping out sprogs annually. The point is that everything would be a mess without you keeping Black from turning into the emotional, irresponsible git he truly is inside so wake up now!" Draco commanded. Then he looked around to make sure no one was listening.

Ignoring the blush creeping on his face, Draco went back to studying Transfiguration by the candle light when he heard something that made him squeal like a girl in fright. He heard a hoarse voice mumble, "Well this is awkward."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! What's a drama without someone falling into a coma? ;) Next up is the Third Task, and of course, Remus waking up! Then one more chapter after that until the next book: **_**The Locket and the Malfoy Ring**_**. Please review!**


	27. The Third Task

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: One more chapter to go! I used some lines from GOF page 641, in the American version, in case I have to cite that or something… I made exams after the Third Task because I forgot they were before. With "battle" at Hogwarts, I'm just going to say that they had to be moved.**

Chapter 27

Draco stared in shock at Remus, who looked equally surprised to see him. "Ma-Ma-Madame Pomfrey!" he yelled. Poppy, who was always a light sleeper, was in the room in a flash.

She put her hand over her mouth. "My God." Madame Pomfrey hurried over to get potions to help Remus with any muscle stiffness he might feel after being in bed for so long.

Draco was about to say that he was going to get everyone and try to wake up Black when Remus asked, "Are you Lucius's son?" Draco could only stare as Madame Pomfrey gave him water and what appeared to be every potion under the sun.

"I-I'm going to go get Sev so he can get everyone," Draco said nervously before bolting out of the room.

When he was gone, Madame Pomfrey tentatively asked, "Remus, what's today's date?"

He frowned at what he thought was a ridiculous question. "July fifteenth, 1993."

* * *

"How'd you wake him up? How'd you wake him up?" Kim was yanking Draco's arm in excitement as everyone raced over to the Hospital Wing. Draco blushed and mumbled that he did nothing. Rolling his eyes, Professor Snape announced that if they caused trouble they would all get detention and walked away to try to get some sleep before the sun came up.

Harry couldn't help but smile, knowing that Sirius was going to be over the moon and more overprotective than ever. Ginny held his hand and kissed him on the cheek, ignoring the gagging noises Ron was making. But when they reached the Hospital Wing, Harry couldn't help but shake off a funny feeling. He just thought it was odd that Remus looked so confused and that Madame Pomfrey seemed like she was having a hard time explaining something to him. That didn't stop Kim from shouting, "REMUS!", and running over to jump into his bed. Harry frowned. Remus looked like a saw a ghost at the sight of her. She bounced up and down. "You're awake! You're awake! You're awake!"

The disbelief was clear in his eyes. "K-Kimberly?"

She stopped bouncing. "What? You never call me that."

"I-I don't…We know each other?" Kim stood perfectly still while Remus continued to stare at her in shock. Harry walked over slowly to help (force) Kim out of the bed. "Harry?"

"Remus," Harry said slowly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Remus looked off into the distance, concentrating. "Albus was coming over. He said that with Siri-Black's escape that he had something to ask me…" He looked around the Hospital Wing. "He was supposed to be over in a few hours…Did something happen, and he found me?"

"No!" Kim shook her head frantically. "Nothing happened, and you were my teacher, but now you're my dad so you have to remember me!" Remus blanched at the word 'dad'. Harry shot her a look that said, _You're scaring him_.

"Last time I saw you, you were a toddler," Remus said cautiously.

Suddenly, everyone heard someone a few beds away sit up and stretch. "What's going on?" Sirius growled. Harry saw Remus's eyes widen and look around for his wand. This can't be good.

Ginny called out, "Don't move, Sirius. We have a bit of a problem." Unfortunately, the word _problem_ caused Sirius to jump out of bed and run over to Remus, who looked like he was going to be sick at the sight of all these people from his past.

"Remus." Sirius looked like he couldn't believe his eyes while Remus looked the same, but for an entirely different reason.

"Stay-stay away from them! I won't let you kill them! You can't take them away too!" Remus weakly tried to get out of bed, but Madame Pomfrey was able to restrain him. Sirius turned paler than he was when he had broken out of Azkaban.

"He's lost his memory," Harry said quickly, but Sirius still looked hurt. "I'm sure it will come back in a few days or so." The truth was that Harry had no idea what was going to happen, but he would say anything right now to stop Sirius from looking so sad.

Kim shook Remus by the shoulders. "You don't remember when you gave me detention? Or when that huge chocolate frog exploded on us? Or that bracelet you gave me for Christmas? Or when you explained to Sirius what a condom was? I think they're made of latex by the way, not rubber. Or when we made you pancakes after the full moon?"

He looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry." Maybe he wasn't sorry about not remembering the condom part.

"It's June 20th, 1995," Harry said before Kim could start rattling off more memories, or Sirius could run off to hide and probably find a bottle of Firewhiskey. "Sirius was declared innocent in January 1994. We spent last summer at the cottage together."

"That's not possible." But Harry was happy to see some hope in Remus's eyes. "I-I don't understand."

"It was the rat!" Sirius snarled, making Remus flinch. "I was a fool and switched Secret Keepers with the rat!"

Remus's eyes flashed with anger. "Mrs. Pettigrew would be turning in her grave. Did you know it was her that demanded you not get the Kiss? She said Pete wouldn't have wanted it."

"Show him the memory," Hermione said logically. "If he sees that even he thought Pettigrew was guilty and that even Dumbledore thought so, then he might believe us."

They quickly asked to borrow Albus's pensieve, and while Harry was extracting his memory, Albus quickly explained to Remus that he was going to give him a job as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that day almost two years ago. Remus looked like he head was going to explode with all this information, but Harry knew they had to show him the memory before they let him rest. Harry felt weird watching Remus watch his memory, but it was better than seeing Sirius so heartbroken. Remus was finished watching the memory within fifteen minutes, and when he emerged, he repeated, "It's not possible."

Harry bit his lip, wondering if he should already be covering his ears. "Let's give Remus some time to rest and let everything sink in."

Sirius looked at Harry as if he just said that he wanted to join the Death Eaters. Kim looked ready to hit him. "NO!" They both yelled at the same time. Remus covered his ears at Kim's shriek.

"You get used to it," Ron said quietly to Remus. "It's a daily occurrence."

The only way Harry was able to get the two of them to leave was to tell them to get Remus breakfast. Kim declared that she was making cake, which made Sirius argue that Remus can't just eat cake after not eating solid food for about a week. Harry slipped in that Sirius should get Remus something else if he thought so. Luckily, that did the trick and both were gone for about an hour.

Remus mostly dozed during that hour but did wake up to ask a few questions here and there. Harry was easier to talk to, since he didn't seem border line hysterical and didn't provide so many details that it made Remus's head hurt. Remus decided that he would be civil towards Sirius but wasn't entirely sure if he could trust him. He was surprised that he was able to survive coming in contact with silver, even though it apparently injured his brain, and was about to ask what the medicine was he was given when Kim and Sirius returned.

Kim had a three layer chocolate cake that looked like it weighed more than her by the wobbling of her arms, and Sirius had a plate filled with eggs and every vegetable imaginable. "They will expect you to eat it all," Harry whispered. "Just eat as much as you can and pretend to be sick. That's what you always do."

They both slammed their plates on the tray over Remus's bed. "You haven't eaten in a week, Remus!"

"He's had nutrition potions," Harry tried to add.

"But it's not the same as cake!"

"But he wasn't starving," Harry tried again.

"But he wasn't having food either!" Harry decided that it was best to give up.

* * *

With the final task just days away, Sirius spent most of his time training Harry for whatever there was to come. Harry knew he was just avoiding Remus, so he told Kim to tell Remus stories about Sirius whenever they were gone. She started off with what she called "The Tales of Kim and Snowball" and was talking about the time she and Sirius went Christmas shopping while Madame Pomfrey was helping Remus walk again by the time Harry and Sirius stopped by for dinner.

Harry sighed at the fact that Sirius was looking at everything but Remus and sat down as to eat. "Are you telling the pee story _again_?" Sirius shot Kim a glare.

"Well, this is the first time Remus 2.0 has heard it!" Kim said defensively.

"2.0?" Remus looked at her curiously.

She nodded at she swirled her fork into her spaghetti. "Remus 1.0 would've told Sirius to stop being a baby and taught Harry lots of spells for the Tournament by now!"

"Tournament?" Remus wished he at least had an idea of what they were talking about.

Harry grinned while Sirius fidgeted. "And he would have scolded you for not studying for your exams yet." He would tell Remus about the Tournament in a couple days. There was no sense in worrying him now.

Kim blinked at him while Remus looked over at the calendar by his bed and frowned. "Exams…" Harry could tell that she completely forgot about them.

"In five days," Harry added. Hermione was going to beat Kim with textbooks after the Tournament. "And Defense is the first one." That even made Sirius smile as Kim's eyes popped out of her head.

Kim tried to form words for a minute, but then she calmed down and shrugged. "I'll just wing it," she said coolly.

"I beginning to think you all are mad." Remus felt like he was in some sort of strange dream. Sirius was out of prison and not a raving lunatic like he thought his lover was for the past decade. Kim was dating a Malfoy (which would have made James's skin crawl) and that wasn't even the strangest thing about her. And from what he was told, Harry was some sort of mini-auror. He had read about Harry's first two years in the paper, but Kim told the story as if Harry was saving the world, multiple times. It sounded more dangerous than the newspaper had made it out to be.

"But you're just as crazy as us!" Kim exclaimed. "One time you played tag with me and Sirius all throughout the Forest!" Harry looked at her oddly, until he caught on that she was referring to the night Remus forgot to take his potion.

Harry took a sip of apple juice to hide his laughter at Remus's look of disbelief. "I did?"

Kim nodded. "Yup. Until the sun came up!"

Two days before the Third Task, while Kim was trying to read her entire DADA book in three days, Harry decided that it was time to tell Remus about the Tournament. He explained about Crouch, making Kim whack him in the head with her book and run off to force Draco to tutor her. Sirius hovered in the background, trying to watch Remus's reaction out of the corner of his eye. Remus paled. "Why didn't you mention this before?" They were in the Great Hall since Remus could walk with a cane now, and Madame Pomfrey encouraged (forced) him to leave the Hospital Wing, which meant more time alone with Sirius when everyone else was in class.

"Because Harry hates it when people worry about him," Sirius said with a tone that was a mixture between amusement and annoyance.

Harry's cheeks colored. "Well, it would have been silly if he did because he was getting better and all."

"Like the time you were running away from home two summers ago?" Ron said with his mouth full. He swallowed after Hermione gave him a dark look and grinned sheepishly. "You could've just sent us a letter Mate, but no! You thought you were on the run from the law." Ginny started choking on her food as she started laughing.

Harry threw his hands up in the air. "I blew someone up! What did you expect me to think?" Remus looked at him with horror. "Okay, she didn't blow up literally. She filled up with air like a balloon."

"And floated into the sun?" Ginny asked excitedly but frowned when Harry shook his head in the negative. Remus gave them an odd look. What a horrible thing to hope for.

* * *

The day of the Third Task, Remus could tell Sirius was nervous, considering that when he tried to butter his toast, he let a glob of it fall into his coffee. They only talked when necessary since Remus couldn't remember what had to be one of the best years he had in a long time, so he didn't really know what to say to Sirius. He wasn't even sure if he should. Was Sirius angry with him for not trusting that he was innocent after seeing the memory? Sometimes it just felt like too much to take in.

He flinched when Kim tugged at his sleeve. "Sit next to Sirius during the Third Task," she whispered. "That'll make him happy." Remus felt himself blush furiously. As much as he wanted to deny it all these years, he was still in love with Sirius.

* * *

Harry was surprised that everyone came to watch the Tournament. All Weasleys, Lee, Sylvia, Dora, Calvin, Cecily, Darwin, and Cole, who kept checking his watch every few minutes. Harry smiled. "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to." Cecily frowned at Cole and slapped him on the shoulder.

She seemed surprised though, when he twitched nervously. "I-I just didn't know that cellphones didn't work here." To everyone's surprise, he let out a shuddery breath, as if he were trying not to cry. "It's _really_ important."

Remus didn't know that Cole was never this nervous and held out his hand. "I might be able to make it work. I got Pete's radio to work in seventh year." Cole looked like Remus just threatened to kill him. "I will do no harm, I swear. Just a few spells." As if he were handing Remus his first born child, Cole took the bulky cellphone from his pocket and gave to Remus with shaking hands. After a muttering under his breath for a few minutes, Remus pressed the button to reveal the dial tone.

Cole smiled, and once again, became Cole. He straightened his tie and said, "Why thank you, my one and only wolf friend." Remus's jaw dropped. Did everyone know about his condition? "Oh, that's right. You don't remember me." Cole smirked. "I took Sirius's place when he was in prison." Remus felt all the color drain out of him.

"Cole Alexander!" Cecily warned. She put a hand on Remus's shoulder. "He's just pulling your leg."

"No I'm not," Cole said, eyes blazing. "I enjoyed our time together. Especially when I put that bag over Sirius's head—"

"What is that phone call about?" Kim interrupted, annoyed that Cole was picking on Remus. She knew it was Agatha related and that it would shut him up.

Cole tensed and clamped his mouth shut. "Unless you want to be tied to a log and thrown into the forest during the next full moon, I suggest you shut the fuck up!"

Cecily glared at him. "I suggest you go find us some seats before I start clucking like a chicken in front of all your new friends." Cole gave her a challenging look but scrambled away when she opened her mouth. "He's such a baby." She suspiciously looked at her son's retreating figure. "Especially when he's up to something."

* * *

Harry had to say that he wished he did feel excited that the Tournament will finally be over in a few short hours. Maybe less if he was lucky. He wished he felt anything but dread. He had done his best to pretend like the Third Task wasn't as bad as it really was, that he was just playing a game, but now that he was standing outside of the hedges with the other champions, he felt like he was about to fall off a cliff.

When he stepped through the hedges with Cedric, they walked straight a few yards in silence until Cedric stopped in his tracks. Harry had never seen someone look so defeated. His eyes looked like they were focused on something happening on another planet as he stared at the ground. "I talked to the Ministry, and they said I just have to walk a few yards in to satisfy the contract I made with the Goblet." He looked up at Harry, allowing him to see that devastation in Cedric's eyes. "So this is where I leave you." Without another word, Cedric raised his wand and shot red sparks in the air. Harry stared sadly at him for a moment, before running off in the opposite direction.

Harry didn't see any of the other champions until he saw Hagrid's contribution to the Third Task. A fire breathing cat and two blast-ended shrewts teamed up together to block his path. Harry sighed as he raised his wand. Of all the creatures in the world, it had to be them. The shrewts were huge, about Vernon Dursley size, and while the cat was normal size, it shot flames at him while it hissed.

Fleur ran up to him. "'Arry! There's more of ze beasts in ze other direction." She shot a stunning spell at the cat just as it tried to lunge for her face.

Unfortunately, the shrewts were too large to be taken down by a few stunners. One shot flames towards Fleur, but Harry managed to freeze the flames in midair when he yelled, "_Glacius_!"

"Thank you," Fleur breathed out. Harry nodded and they both pointed their wands at the shrewt and bellowed, "_GLACIUS!_" The beast became trapped in a block of ice. Just as they were about to use the charm on the other one, Viktor ran right past them and jumped on top of it. Harry and Fleur could only stare as Viktor rode the shrewt away. "_Mon Dieu!_" Harry smiled, wondering what Hermione would say to that.

They only encountered two dead ends while walking through the maze together. Harry knew that Fleur was competition, but it felt better to walk with her instead of alone. He looked at Fleur as she wondered which way to go next and knew she thought along the same lines. They stunned a few of the fire breathing cats and strange animals that looked like they were made of tree bark along the way.

The next problem they faced was what Harry could instantly tell was a boggart. It was right in front of their path and in the form of Gabrielle. She was very still and covered in water and seaweed. Her eyes were lifeless. Fleur immediately started crying and ran towards the fake Gabrielle. There was nothing Harry could say to make her understand that it wasn't really her little sister. "Wait! Wait!" He tried to step in front of the boggart so it would change shape, but it was already too late.

An Acromantula jumped over the hedges out of nowhere and landed right on top of Fleur. She was clearly rendered unconscious, and Harry just had enough time to send up red sparks for her as the Acromantula flung out one of its eight hairy legs to make him go flying into the hedge. Panicking, Harry ran as fast as he could and heard the pounding on the ground as the beast chased after him.

The giant spider managed to push him around a few times, and Harry was sure he had a concussion. He vaguely wondered if Sirius could see this and if Remus was willing to calm him down. And then of course, the Acromantula flung him in front of a sphinx. The sphinx opened her mouth to say something, but Harry was honestly too terrified to care. The ground was shaking with the Acromantula's steps. "S-Spider!" he gasped. Harry had never really understood Ron's irrational fear until now.

She blinked at him in surprise and then smiled. "You may pass." Harry stared at her in disbelief for a split second before he darted away.

The only thing that saved him from the Acromantula was yet another obstacle. A vine of particularly feisty Devil's Snare grabbed him and plastered him against a hedge. For some reason, the giant spider ploughed on, maybe to find Viktor. Harry gulped in relief that quickly turned to panic as the Devil's Snare tightened its grip upon his neck. It seemed that he was facing a number of Ron's fears today.

Hermione had said that night three years ago to relax in order to loosen the plant's grip, but that didn't stop Harry from struggling for a few minutes. His head hurt so bad that he couldn't think straight, and now he couldn't breathe very well. The plant let him go after he passed out for a minute and his body went limp.

Harry jumped up with a start once he landed on the ground. He groaned at his sudden dizziness. That was definitely not a good idea. Knowing full well that Sirius would want him to send up red sparks, Harry continued through the maze. It was only him and Viktor now. He smiled at the thought of Viktor riding throughout maze on the shrewt. What would happen if Viktor was knocked off the thing and passed out? It would seem silly for him to be the only one going through the maze. Because of the throbbing in his head, Harry also wondered what would happen if the both of them passed out. Could the Tournament end with no winner?

Walking randomly through the maze, Harry could hear the distant roar of Vikor's shrewt as it tore through the bushes. He wondered if Viktor would try to make the shrewt attack him. He was the only one Harry knew who ever had such control over the things, making Harry wonder if he learned how from experience. A light in the distance distracted him from his thoughts.

Harry couldn't help but grin as he ran towards it. It would finally be over. All he had to do was grab the Cup and this horrific year would be over. This summer Kim said she was going to force him to learn how to ride a bike, making Remus try to get Sirius not to insist he wear knee or elbow-pads. Ginny challenged them to a Quidditch Tournament, Weasleys versus the Potter-Lupin-Black-Starkman-Pendragon family (Lee and Sylvia were apparently very competitive). And in August Hermione was going to send them all letters reminding them to do their homework.

He could see the cup when he heard the roar from Viktor's shrewt. Reluctantly, Harry waited patiently for Viktor to grab the Cup. As great as winning sounded, he didn't want to lose his life to a blast-ended shrewt for it. But when Viktor burst through the hedges, the shrewt became fearful at the sight of the glowing Cup and stopped in its tracks. Not expecting this, Viktor flew from the shrewt and landed face first into the dirt. Harry ran over to him and nudged him with his foot. Viktor was out cold. Harry shrugged. Madame Pomfrey would help him after Harry grabbed the Cup and ended the Tournament. And then she would yell at him for not telling her about his own head injury sooner. Before the shrewt could change its mind and return, Harry strode over to the cup and grabbed it…and yelled out in surprise at the slightly familiar tugging of his navel.

* * *

Kim frowned as she watched Harry struggle with the Devil's Snare. "Why isn't he forfeiting!?" She herself would have forfeited after seeing those huge blast-ended shrewts, after she pissed herself, of course.

Draco ran his hand down her back to try to calm her nerves and tried to distract her by saying, "You just don't understand competition. Haven't you seen the way the bloke plays Quidditch? He's not stopping until he's unconscious." Unfortunately, Draco received a death glare from Sirius and not playful bickering from his girlfriend.

Suddenly, Cole's phone rang and he cast quick silencing charms. The crowd couldn't be heard, so they only heard him talking. "Is that really necessary?" he snapped. "No, no…I'm perfectly willing," he said nervously. "You have to make sure you hold up your end of the bargain though." There was silence for several minutes. Everyone was listening except Sirius, who was watching Harry fall to the ground and was biting his nails. "If you don't or you back out now, I will slaughter you!" After about thirty seconds, Cole smiled triumphantly and nodded. "Excellent."

Sylvia pouted. "You're very mysterious tonight, Cole."

Cole looked at her for a moment. Sadness flashed through his eyes, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. "I'll tell you in a year or two." Sylvia looked outraged while Calvin laughed and waved his wand to lower the silencing charms.

"What the hell?" Sirius yelled. Everyone looked back at maze. The Cup was gone, and so was Harry.

* * *

Harry landed face first on the ground since he was not expecting the Cup to be a Portkey. That only made his head hurt worse. Groaning and feeling like he was going to pass out, Harry shakily stood up and looked around to see a graveyard. Feeling like he just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life, Harry called out, "Hello? Is anyone there? Is this part of the Third Task? Because I think this is a bit much." He froze when he heard a horrible, cruel laugh, the laugh that haunted his dreams.

He pointed his wand at Wormtail as he approached, looking both proud and fearful at the same time. Harry wanted to curse the bastard more than anything, but as Pettigrew took another step forward, his scar erupted in such pain that he passed out for who knows how long. He woke up to the sight of Bellatrix carrying what appeared to be a bundled up baby, but he knew from his dreams that it wasn't a baby at all. She still hummed to it as if it were a baby though. Harry felt like he was going to be sick.

It was when Harry tried to move and figured out that he was tied to a headstone that he knew he was going to die. He saw his wand placed at his feet. "Hurry up, Wormy!" Bellatrix cackled. "The little Potty Boy is getting impatient!"

Pettigrew nodded determinedly as Bellatrix let Voldemort fall into a large cauldron. Raising his wand he said with a shaking voice, "_Bone of the father unknowingly given, you will renew your son!_" The ground that was under the headstone that trapped Harry opened and dust flew out and into the cauldron. Harry fought as hard as he could not to pass out again. The edges of his vision were already becoming dark.

Wormtail started crying as he took out a silver knife that Harry knew Sylvia would be envious of. Bellatrix rolled her eyes and hollered, "The Dark Lord gave you this privilege, and you're going to cry about it like a wee little baby?" She strode over to him, snatched the knife away from him, and yanked at his arm over the cauldron. "I'll do it for you. _Flesh of the servant __**willingly **__given, you will revive you master!_" Pettigrew nodded and closed his eyes as Bellatrix lifted the knife high in the air and swung downward. Harry could only watch in horror as Pettigrew's hand fell into the cauldron with a sickening plop. It made the potion turn such a bright red that Harry passed out again.

He woke to the stinging of Pettigrew cutting into his arm to take his blood. Harry started shaking, which only made him bang his head against the headstone. He looked up to see Bellatrix carefully, lovingly, place a robe on a tall, thin man with scarlet eyes and a snake like nose. Lord Voldemort had officially risen to full power.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN A GLITCH?" Sirius looked ready to kill Fudge as the audience started murmuring nervously. "Cups don't just change into Portkeys, you bastard! Now I'm going to ask you again, WERE IS MY GODSON?"

"Sirius," Dumbledore said calmly. "Cornelius does not know what is going on. No one does." Fudge glared at Albus but could say nothing to refute the statement.

"What about the Trace?" Sylvia asked. "If he's lost, I'm sure he's using magic outside of school."

Fudge nodded eagerly. "I just need to set up the proper paperwork and contact the Improper Use of Magic office."

"PAPERWORK?" Kim had to cover Sirius's mouth to stop him from screaming. But she quickly removed it after he gave her a look as if he were going to bite her. "Trace him NOW!"

Fudge frowned. "That would be very illegal, Mr. Black."

"Sirius, Sirius." Remus rushed over and grabbed Sirius's arm. "The longer you argue, the longer it is going to take to find Harry."

Sirius and Remus stared at each other for a moment, before Sirius finally gave in and said, "Fine. Just hurry up and get you bloody paperwork." Fudge smiled smugly and hurried off.

* * *

Harry drifted in and out of consciousness as the other Death Eaters returned to watch him die. He noticed that Lucius was there but not Narcissa. That infuriated Bellatrix to no end, making Harry smile weakly. He glared at Voldemort as he started telling him his life story. If he was going to die, Harry figured that he wasn't going to die placidly. "Yeah, well what do you want, a pity party? I grew up in a cupboard, but you don't see me trying to start a holocaust."

Everyone became silent until Voldemort started laughing. "Some are just born to lead, Harry Potter. I suppose you aren't one of them." Harry rolled his eyes, but Voldemort chose to ignore it. At least that was what Harry thought, until he heard, "_Crucio_!" He screamed until he passed out again.

Harry woke again to listen to the Death Eaters pledging their loyalty, and Voldemort talking about what happened these past few years. He made a point to act like he wasn't listening. He wasn't going to give the Death Eaters the satisfaction, even though he was clinging to their every word, especially when Voldemort started talking about his mother's sacrifice.

When Voldemort touched his scar to send a new burst of pain, Harry made sure to look the monster in the eyes as he did it. He refused to scream, refused to pass out again. Voldemort smiled at Harry's determination. "Then I suppose it's time for our duel. Bellatrix? Would you do the honors?"

Bellatrix nodded eagerly and skipped over to Harry. As she untied him, she whispered in his ear, "I look forward to seeing those beautiful green eyes become dull." Harry shivered as the ropes were properly untied, and he fell to the ground. He scrambled to grab his wand and stood up wearily, pointing it at Voldemort. He made sure not to let his arm shake.

"Are you ready to duel, Harry?" Voldemort smiled. "I hear your Defense teachers haven't been too good." He shook his head like he thought it was a shame. "Do you even know how to?" All of the Death Eaters started laughing.

Harry gritted his teeth in anger, trying to keep his cool. Mad-Eye always said to remain calm to never show them that you're scared. With a strained smile, Harry said, "Of course I do, how else would I have kicked your ass two years in a row?" Voldemort frowned at the word _two_, and Harry noticed Lucius shift uncomfortably in the background.

"Very well. Then bow to me." Harry didn't move. "Didn't you learn manners with those Muggles, Harry? I suppose I'll have to teach them some when I'm through with you." Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry, trying to make him bow. Harry stumbled forward and almost knocked into him. Feeling nauseous once again, Harry vomited at Voldemort's feet.

"Aw!" Bellatrix cooed. "Wittle Potty hurt his wittle head!" She then started laughing hysterically.

Voldemort stared at him in disgust. "How dare you? _Crucio_!" Harry fell to the ground and started screaming again, but Voldemort didn't lift the curse for the longest minute of Harry's life. "_Imperio_! Stand up! I said STAND UP POTTER!" As much as Harry wanted to stand up and fight, he refused to listen to the Imperius Curse.

Harry started crawling away for a minute, ignoring the Death Eaters laughs and jeers and ran behind a headstone. He had to get out of here. But how? Even though he was surrounded by people, Harry never felt so alone and never felt so stupid. Everyone was going to feel awful when they found out he died, and it was all because he thought he should grab the Cup. He should have just sent up red sparks like Cedric.

But he couldn't give up without a fight. He wasn't going to let his loved ones think that he just gave up. Ignoring how tired he felt, Harry ran out into the open and screamed, "_EXPELLIARMUS_!"

Voldemort laughed and cried, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

When the green light met the red, Harry smiled as he knew Kim would be shouting about Christmas colors to try to distract Voldemort. He had to hold his wand with both hands as his wand started vibrating, and the lights turned gold. Voldemort's eyes were wide with shock as he did the same.

Harry felt like his brain was going to ooze out of his head as he and Voldemort flew into the air. He heard the sound of a phoenix, but when he looked down, all he saw was the Death Eaters closing in around them and a snake slithering into the circle. He could tell from his Parseltongue that she was very hungry. He almost broke the connection when he saw people coming out of it. There was an old man and a woman who he recognized as Bertha Jorkins from the papers. They spoke words of encouragement, but it was nothing compared to the arrival of his parents.

His father smiled at him. "We miss you, Harry. But it isn't your time yet. Your mother is coming. We're going to help you, Harry. We promise."

Lily shot Voldemort a look that would give Mrs. Weasley a run for her money when she zoomed out of the Dark Lord's wand. Voldemort looked like he was so scared that he might break the connection, but he didn't move. She glided as close to Harry as she could and whispered, "When the connection breaks, we will do our best to stop him. You must get to the Portkey at all costs, Harry!" She cupped Harry's face in her hands. Harry was surprised at how warm it felt and tried not to cry. "It will take you to Hogwarts, Harry. Understand?" He nodded. "Good. I love you."

"Make sure you run as soon as your feet hit the ground," his father said firmly. "NOW!"

It was a relief to let go, to run towards the Cup that was his lifeline. He heard Voldemort scream to stun him, but he didn't care and set as many curses as he knew over his shoulder as he ran. "_Accio Cup_!" he yelled and cried out with happiness as the Cup hurled towards him.

But it wasn't fast enough. Just as he felt the tip of it touch his fingers, Voldemort yelled, "_Avada Kedavra!"_ Everything went black.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Fleur said, "My God" in French earlier in the chapter. I'm not sure when (if) Remus is going to get his memory back, but definitely not in the summer. I hope any DH fans will like the next chapter. That's all I'm going to reveal. :) Please review!**


	28. Back From the Dead

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 28

Sirius had just finished signing the papers when it happened. He was so focused on writing his last signature that at first he ignored the thud that made Kim and Ginny scream. "There. Now find my son, Fudge," he snarled. Fudge was staring past him with his mouth open. "What?" Sirius turned around and felt his heart stop.

He ran over to Harry, who was very still, and shook him. "No, no, no, no." Sirius shook him a little harder. "Wake up!" He slapped Harry's cheek, a little too hard, and yelled, "WAKE UP DAMMIT!" He started shaking and felt tears stream down his face as he noticed that Harry wasn't breathing and was very pale.

* * *

Harry frowned at the scene around him. He was definitely at Godric's Hollow, but how did he get there? And the house seemed to be perfectly restored. Remus would have mentioned if it was being fixed, wouldn't he? Unable to resist, he walked up to the house, and stopped when he heard a whimpering. Under a wooden bench that had a flowerpot on it, was what Harry had always thought a baby looked like months before it was born. It had no skin, it couldn't open its eyes, and it was very thin and fragile looking. The fact that it was crying was the only reason Harry knew it was alive. Pitying the thing, Harry reached out to touch it when a voice stopped him. "Don't touch that," it said firmly, paternally. Harry turned around to see his father and his mother. Lily covered her mouth with her hands to try to hide the fact that she was crying. She ran over as fast as she could and hugged him fiercely.

Harry hugged her back like he wanted to ever since he was old enough to understand that Aunt Petunia wasn't his mother. Even though he didn't want to let go, he had to ask, "Did I die? In the graveyard?"

Lily pulled away. "No, no. I won't let you die this way! I won't let you!" James put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"That _thing_ is going to die, not you." James said as if there were no question about it.

"Er…I don't understand." If it was as easy as that, wouldn't his parents be alive right now?

Lily wiped away some of her tears. "That…" She pointed at the whimpering creature. "…was part of your magical self. Voldemort accidently put it there…It was part of his soul. You're going to wake up. You can't stay here with us, Harry. We can talk for a little while but that's it. We'll see each other again."

"And when you go back…" James suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Can you tell Severus that I'm sorry? For everything." Harry didn't understand, but nodded anyway. "And tell Sirius that he better be sorry too!"

Harry smiled. "Okay, Dad, but I can't make any promises that he will be." He figured that his dad was talking about Sirius trying to feed Snape to Remus.

"And tell Sev…" Lily's eyes became a little distant. "That I miss him."

Harry frowned. This was getting weirder and weirder. "Um…okay. You know I have no idea what you're talking about, right?"

She laughed and nodded. "He's one of my dearest friends." James pouted at that while Harry tried to keep the shock off his face. "But enough of that. We don't have much time."

Harry did what he always wanted to do with his parents, just sit around and talk. They lazed around in the backyard, away from that grotesque creature. Lily scolded him for his crazy Quidditch matches while James boasted about him winning the Quidditch Cup. They joked about how Ron and Hermione were destined to be together, making James tease Harry about Ginny. "The Potters have always had a thing for redheads." Lily rolled her eyes and whacked him playfully.

They laughed for what seemed like hours. Lily wiped tears from her eyes. "I couldn't stop laughing for days after you two got the Sex Talk. I'm sure Remus was loving it, he's such a prude."

James smiled. "I remember first year when Pete asked where babies come from." Lily laughed so hard she couldn't breathe. "Remus refused to look us in the eye for a week."

"Well it was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life." Harry smirked. "Besides seeing Aunt Marge's mustache."

"Oh God," James moaned. "Now she is someone I definitely don't look forward to seeing. I mean, with Vernon at least I can beat him up, but Marge…I'm going to have to leave it to Lils over here." He jerked his thumb in the direction of his wife.

Lily shook her head. "You can beat Vernon up after I knock his teeth out." Harry flushed with embarrassment.

"Can you even do that here?" Harry wondered.

James grinned. "Only one way to find out."

"James!" Lily looked at him crossly. "We are not pranking Salazar in front of our son!"

Harry gaped. "Salazar Slytherin?"

James nodded. "He was released from prison twenty years ago. People go to prison here for a certain number of centuries when they are really horrible."

"Yes, and James has been pranking Salazar every day for the last twelve years!" Lily was trying her best not to smile.

"It's not like you don't join in!" James laughed at Lily's blush.

"Fred and George would be bowing at your feet right now."

James nodded. "You're making a good investment by the way." Lily swatted him on the shoulder. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't make it yet."

"You guys know the future?" Harry had never found himself so curious about death in his life.

"Some," Lily said cautiously. "It depends. We are only interested in what happens to our family."

"And tell Sirius to make sure Kim stays away from Malfoy early to mid-May," James snapped, suddenly angry.

"James," Lily soothed. "It is the way things are meant to be." She put her arm around him to hug him.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," he grumbled. Lily sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Care to share?" Harry asked curiously. James opened his mouth, but Lily put her index finger over his lips to keep him quiet. She shook her head.

"One thing I would like to share is that you should always feel comfortable with asking for help. No matter what, Harry." Lily's eyes watered a bit. "You are NOT a burden."

Harry picked at the grass on the ground. "I know, Mum."

She smiled sadly. "Then don't act like you don't."

Harry bit his lip. "I'll try. It's just…I'm used to doing things on my own. Ron and Hermione were my first friends so it's easier with them since I've known them the longest, but…"

James slapped him on the back, making him jump. "Everyone makes mistakes, Kiddo. Parents just try to prevent as many as possible."

"Okay," Harry said nervously.

James suddenly looked annoyed, but it wasn't at Harry like he thought it was at first. "Speaking of mistakes, Kim and Sirius are about to bite each other's heads off, so…" He looked at Harry sadly.

"I guess I better go," Harry said reluctantly. He stood up. "How exactly do I do that?"

Lily got up and hugged him and after a moment James joined them. "Just close your eyes." Sighing, Harry did as he was told.

* * *

The first thing he heard was Kim screaming at Sirius. "HE'S NOT DEAD! HE'S STILL WARM!" Harry opened his eyes but discovered that he was covered with a white sheet.

"I'M NOT GOING TO SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR MY GODSON TO GET COLD JUST TO DISPROVE YOUR DELUSIONS!" Harry tried to move, but he felt pins and needles like his whole body was asleep. _I suppose my body has to get used to having a soul in it._ He was slowly getting feeling back in his fingers and toes, but he thought he was going to have to sit up for Sirius to believe he was awake.

"I HATE YOU, SIRIUS! DON'T TALK TO ME EVER AGAIN," Kim sobbed. Harry heard one of the Hospital Wing doors slam a few moments letter.

He heard footsteps get closer to him and felt Sirius grip his bed. "The people from St. Mungo's are waiting to take him to the morgue," he said so quietly that Harry could barely hear.

"It could've waited until tomorrow, Sirius," Remus muttered hoarsely.

"I can't stand to see him like this, Moony." Harry knew it was mean, but he couldn't help but grin when he grabbed Sirius's arm and made him scream like a girl. Sirius ripped the sheet off so fast that Harry flinched. "No. Way."

"It's a little hard to move," Harry muttered. "I think my blood needs a moment to circulate properly." Harry sighed guiltily when Sirius collapsed with half his body on the bed and started sobbing.

After a couple minutes, Remus put on his glasses, allowing Harry to finally see properly. Remus's skin was a little irritated looking, making Harry think he missed a dose or two of his medicine. "What happened?" He helped Harry sit up, which was proving difficult with the state Sirius was in. Wiping his nose on his sleeve, Sirius stood up shakily.

Harry frowned. What exactly did happen? "I died…But not really."

Ginny suddenly walked into the Hospital Wing with red eyes. "I just need to see him one last time before the healers…" She stopped in her tracks at the sight of him. Harry gave her a small smile. Ginny squealed at such a high pitch that Remus had to cover his ears. Before Harry knew it she was peppering his face with kisses. "I love you! I never got the chance to say it and I thought…" She shook her head. "Never mind what I thought." Then she gave him a bone crushing hug.

"Hey!" Sirius yelled. "He just came back from the dead! You don't want to kill him again, do you?" Ginny backed away quickly with wide eyes while Harry thought that he was going to have a rather boring summer with Sirius smothering him.

"I'm fine, Sirius." Sirius looked like he didn't believe him. "But someone isn't." That made his godfather wince guiltily.

"Ginny?" Remus asked gently. "Can you get Dumbledore? And everyone else." Ginny happily nodded and hurried away. "Can you walk, Harry? I have a feeling she's in the Tower."

"Maybe we should bring her down here, Remus." Harry frowned. Yeah, Sirius might be a bit of a problem this summer. He stretched his legs to prove that he could move them and got out of bed, ignoring Sirius as he tried to put him back in it.

After being hugged by a teary eyed McGonagall, Harry was given permission to enter the girls' dormitory. He found Kim furiously stuffing all her things into a suitcase, including all her weapons. Harry shook his head and knocked on the doorframe. She didn't look up. "Go away, Remus. You don't even remember me."

"I was just going to ask where you get all this stuff. I mean, is that a mace?" Kim froze and looked up slowly. Harry smiled. "And just where did you think you were going? Ompf!" Kim nearly knocked him down when she hugged him. He felt a dampness on his shirt and wondered how many times he was going to be cried on tonight. He had yet to see Mrs. Weasley, so he knew it was going to happen at least one more time.

"Are you alright up there?" Sirius called up. Kim let go of Harry and made a face that strongly reminded him of Crookshanks.

"Be nice." Harry knew the minute they saw each other that they were going to awkwardly apologize.

"Why should I?" Kim snapped. But she grinned when Sirius tried to run up the stairs and slid down as they became flat. She giggled. "Okay. I'll try."

Sirius was still flat on the ground when they went down the steps, making Harry clear his throat when Kim lifted her foot high in the air to step on him. Sirius scrambled up while Kim pouted at getting caught. Once they were face-to-face, both looked away and mumbled, "I'm sorry." And then they pretended like nothing happened.

Harry looked up to see all of his friends in the room, even Hagrid, who was crying into what used to be a bed sheet. As he predicted, Mrs. Weasley ran over to him and practically drowned him with her tears. Harry looked down in surprise to see Gabrielle hugging him too. Once she realized he noticed, she quickly ran back to Fleur.

"Harry, my dear boy," Albus said cheerfully. "Welcome back." Mrs. Weasley finally let him go.

"I suppose you want to know what happened, sir?" Albus nodded, so Harry sat down and told the story of what happened after he grabbed the Cup. Sirius started pacing until Harry started to say what happened after he was hit with the Killing Curse. Then he stood perfectly still, making sure he got every word.

Albus was silent for several minutes. "It would seem that I have some research to do."

"That's it?" Sirius asked. "Is Harry going to be okay?" He sounded a bit demanding with his last question.

"I believe so. I am not sure we want this leaked to the presses yet. He may be safer if Voldemort believed him dead." Sirius flinched when Albus said _dead_. "Like I said, I have to do my research. But I have no reason to believe that Harry will be returning to the World of the Dead any time soon."

"When will everyone know I'm alive, sir? I mean, how will I go to school next year?"

Albus chuckled. "I'm sure you would like to have a summer where Voldemort isn't after you. But you can't hide forever."

"Of course he can!" Sirius exclaimed. "He can take Polyjuice Potion for the rest of his life when he goes out in public."

Harry shook his head. "I will agree to the summer, but I want Voldemort to know that he failed. I want him to realize that he isn't all powerful." Albus beamed. Then Harry remembered something. "Can I talk to Professor Snape?" To his surprise, Snape stepped forward. "I, er, I mean my dad…" Anger suddenly radiated off Severus. "…wanted to say he was sorry." Severus blink in shock, having expecting torment from beyond the grave. "He said he was sorry for everything and that Sirius had better be sorry too."

Sirius looked at the ground. "I was a prat," was all he would say.

Harry frowned at Sirius but supposed that was a start. He turned back to Severus. "And Mum says she misses you, and that you're one of her dearest friends." Severus continued to stare at Harry, like he was trying to say something, but quickly turned away and left the room.

Albus rose to go talk to Severus and afterwards Narcissa and Lucius. "I suppose I will leave you be. The Ministry will have a hard time believing the events tonight without your testimony, but you deserve a peaceful summer, Harry, and I'm sure they would put up a rather nasty fight with you testimony anyway." Harry hoped that Albus didn't just jinx him.

Once everyone calmed down, Ron and Hermione approached him. Ron was looking at the ground to try to hide his red eyes while Hermione glared at him. "We thought you were dead!" She shoved him lightly.

Harry bit his lip. "I honestly thought I was dead too for a little bit."

"Do you know how awful it would've been without you!?" Ron nodded in agreement but still had trouble looking Harry in the eye. Then Hermione's eyes softened, and she gave him a watery smile. "I would've failed all my exams."

Harry relaxed and laughed. "Then I guess it would have seen you soon anyway because you would have died from a broken heart." She laughed weakly and pulled Harry into a hug. Ron finally looked him in the eye and held his hand out for a handshake. Grinning, he reached past Hermione to grab his best friend's hand.

* * *

The next day, Harry was smuggled back to the cottage while Kim was trapped in Exam World. Rita Skeeter wrote several articles about Kim's lack of emotion…until Kim flipped out on her and broke her legs by pushing her down a flight of stairs. Then Skeeter wrote articles about Kim burying her grief over her brother's death and that she was spiraling into a terrible depression. Ron and Hermione snuck over to the cottage a few nights later to keep Harry company. He currently couldn't go outside, since Sirius worked it into his head that Harry would get sick easily after coming back from the dead. But who gets a cold during the summer?

When Kim arrived by car a week later, Harry couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the sight of Darwin. "Really Sirius?" Sirius blushed and hurried off to get something to drink for the healer.

"Sirius thinks you're a zombie!" Kim said happily. "But I think you would've tried to eat us by now if you were." Harry gave her a funny look.

"Sirius wants to make sure you weren't starting to decay while you visited the World of the Dead," Darwin translated.

"I think he would have been in quite a bit of pain if he was," Remus remarked and smiled as Sirius dropped a glass on the floor. "And he doesn't appear to be, Padfoot."

Darwin handed Remus a small paper bag. "This will last you every full moon until February. We'll see what we should do from there." They contained the pills that Remus would be taking an hour before the sun went down during a full moon. Sirius walked over and handed Darwin a glass of water. "Thank you. From the looks of things, Harry is perfectly fine. Although I am ashamed to say that he is now taller than me."

Harry rolled his eyes and answered all Darwin's questions, with hopes of calming Sirius down. He wasn't in pain, he didn't have trouble moving or going to the bathroom, he wasn't bloated, none of his skin was turning black, and his vision and all his other senses were perfectly normal. Darwin ran some diagnostic spells while Sirius started pacing and didn't stop until the healer announced that everything was perfectly normal. Kim started cheering while Sirius seemed to be thinking of more questions to ask. "Sirius, I'm not a zombie." Kim grinned at his choice of words.

"But what if—"

"What if you're doing all this worrying for nothing?"

Sirius put his hands on his hips. "It's better than not worrying when something's wrong."

"What if you stress Harry out by worrying so much that you make him sick?!" Kim giggled as Sirius considered the possibility. "So tomorrow we're learning how to ride a bike!"

* * *

Sirius started freaking out when Harry scraped his knee falling off of said bike the next day, so Remus decided to get him out of Harry's hair by taking Sirius out to eat at Hogsmeade. He only agreed when there were babysitters stationed in the house, but Harry was thankful that the babysitters were Ron, Fred, and George and not Percy. Kim planned on throwing water balloons on Fred and George when they came through the fire but got too excited and threw them all at Ron, who came out of the floo first. She pouted. "I'm sorry that I wasted all my balloons on you, Ron."

Ron scowled. "You're lucky you're related to my best mate." He turned to Harry. "The newspapers keep trying to interview Dad on my reaction to your death. It's horrible."

Harry looked at the ground. "Sorry."

Ron shrugged. "It's better than you being really dead."

A loud crash interrupted them and they turned to see Fred and George trying to levitate a bucket over the floo for Sirius's return and magically fill it with water at the same time. Unfortunately, the bucket landed on Fred's head, making Kim laugh triumphantly as if she did it. Because of the wand in sticking out of her back pocket, Harry had every reason to believe she did. A light bulb suddenly went off in Harry's head. "That reminds me. I have an investment to make." He marched into his room to get his winnings.

The Ministry sent the gold in the mail with a very tired looking owl and a letter with their condolences. Fudge kept asking when the funeral was, which left Sirius ranting about publicity for two hours. Remus wrote a letter back that said there was going to be a private service. The newspapers were still talking about the werewolf who snubbed Fudge.

Harry walked over to Fred and George with the bag in his hand. He thrust it at them. "Open a joke shop."

Ron looked like a fish out of water while Kim squealed. "You're taking investors?!"

Fred and George shook their heads. "No," they said. "We couldn't possibly…"

"Yes you can," Ron surprised them all by saying. He frowned at the fact that they were shocked that he wasn't jealous. "I'll be your accountant. To make sure you don't blow it all on Canary Creams."

Fred looked over at George. "What's an accountant?" he whispered. George looked equally puzzled.

"You know…like Mum's cousin. He makes sure everything is spent wisely and correctly and stuff." Ron's ears turned red.

Fred and George considered this for a moment before they each held out their hand. Out of all of them, Ron always made his pocket money last the longest. "Little Brother, you've got yourself a deal." Ron beamed.

They played exploding snap for a while until it was clear that Sirius wasn't going to come busting through the floo to check on Harry. Then they played Quidditch within the wards. Kim tried her best to throw dirt clods at Fred and George while they zoomed through the air, but wound up hitting Ron more than anything. He managed to catch a few and toss them back at her, making her run around the backyard and shriek happily.

After a little while when it was Ron's turn with the Firebolt, he did his best to try to catch her, making Kim lock herself in the shed. Not being defeated that easily, Ron grabbed the hose and slid it through a hole in a window, putting it on full blast. Of course after that, Fred and George conjured water guns with their new freedom of being able to use magic outside of school, and they had a water battle that quickly turned into a mud fight.

And so Sirius came home to find Harry being dog piled in a puddle of mud. He went to run outside, but Remus stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "But with if the scrape on his knee gets infected, Moony!?"

"He can use antiseptic on it when he gets inside." Remus smiled. "He's a kid, Padfoot. They get hurt."

"Easy for you to say," Sirius mumbled.

Remus raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"You don't remember all the dangerous stuff that happened these past two years." He growled in annoyance. "And even then you weren't too worried."

"I probably wasn't worried on a Sirius Black level so it seemed like to not worrying to you." Remus smiled. "You can't smother him forever."

"Says who?"

"I'm sure says Harry in a couple of days if you keep this up. And he won't say it too kindly either, I would imagine." Remus tried not to laugh as Sirius debated about when to do. "He got a second chance at life, let him live it."

Sirius gritted his teeth. "I'm pouring antiseptic on his knee when he gets in."

"Oh and Sirius?"

Sirius was creepily watching them from the window. "Hmm?"

Remus was glad Sirius couldn't see him fidget. "I'm sure Harry would like it better if you didn't stay in the cot in his room either." Sirius tensed up. "I mean…if you want to…"

Sirius turned around slowly like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Harry would like it better or Remus would like it better?"

Remus stepped away from a mirror that was against the wall so he wouldn't see himself blush. "Remus would like it better."

* * *

Cole stared miserably at the moon from his bedroom window. Just a few more weeks and then it would be full. Just a few more weeks and his plan will commence. And then he would get her back.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I will post an A/N with a one shot when I post the next story in here. I know that the connection between Harry and Voldemort is now broken, but I've got another trick up my sleeve for the next book. The title of it is a clue! Please review!**


	29. Sequel up! Cho in the Afterlife

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: The sequel's up! Thank you to all the reviewers, favoriters, followers, alerters and/or fans! The beginning summer in the next book will get a little crazy, especially for everyone's favorite Potions master! So as promised, here's a one-shot. I hope you like it. It's about Cho joining the World of the Dead.**

Cho had to say that she thought dying wouldn't be so…wet. She opened her eyes to see that she was underwater, which led her to expect to see some kind of fish or plant life, but she saw none. All she saw was a bright light at the surface of the water. Even though she could breathe in this mysterious water, Cho still swam to the surface as fast as she could.

When she broke to the surface, Cho blinked in surprise to see a boy with dark blonde hair waiting for her. She stepped out of the water and couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"

The boy chuckled and held out a silky black robe. "You don't have to wear clothes, but most people choose too. It's the old people who usually don't, which is why I hate visiting my grandma."

Cho giggled but then realized that he was saying that she was naked and snatched the robe out of his hands. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind while looking for my grandfather." She looked around. They were surrounded by trees, and it seemed that she just came out of a murky pool of water. "Can you help me find…wherever I need to be?"

The boy smiled. "I kinda move around myself. I've stayed with the Potters, the Gryffindors, the Prewetts, and a few relatives. Like I said, I try not to spend too much time with my grandmother."

Cho frowned as they walked to the forest and headed to a small town. It looked like wherever she turned she would be somewhere new. One minute she could be in ancient Egypt and the next in what appeared to be Godric's Hollow. It was weird, but she supposed she could move faster now that she was dead. She wondered if she should visit the Ravenclaws.

"I have a small house," the boy continued. "You can stay there for a little bit, while you get everything sorted out. I sort of knew you were coming." He blushed.

"I have a boyfriend," Cho said instantly. Then she looked at the ground. "Well, I had one." Cedric was probably devastated, and here she was, prancing around Godric's Hollow with another boy.

The boy shrugged. "I have an eternity to make you love me." Cho paled, so he added, "Maybe it will help Cedric feel better, if you're happy here. That's what everyone here says when I miss someone. He finds love again, I promise."

Cho narrowed her eyes. How dare this boy tell her how to feel? But it wasn't like she could expect Cedric to never fall in love again. And it wasn't like she wanted him to die soon so he could be here with her. So that meant her and Cedric were never going to be together again. "You never told me who you are."

The boy threw his head back and laughed. "I suppose I didn't. My name's Sylvester. Sylvester Pendragon."


End file.
